Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death

ENT surgeon Shahz Ahmed prepares to operate on Sarah. At just 35-years-old, she has a large bone tumour growing in the sinus area of her head. As the tumour grows, it's pushing into her skull and pressing on her eye - and without treatment, she will eventually go blind. Mike is having a high-risk but potentially life-saving operation. Despite initially being told that his pancreatic cancer was inoperable, hepatobiliary surgeon Nik Chatzizacharias believes he can remove the tumour. And surgeons operate on Deborah, a mother of three with early-stage breast cancer.

Claire has a tumour growing at the bridge between her brain and her nose. If left untreated, the tumour will spread into her brain and kill her. Surgeon Shahz Ahmed must act quickly. Getting the cancer out safely is only half the battle. If he can't mend the hole he has to make in Claire's skull to get the tumour out, she could develop meningitis. And Alan needs an equally complex procedure that carries a risk of death. One of his heart valves is severely damaged, leaving him with just months to live as his heart struggles to pump enough blood throughout his body. Surgeon Moninder Bhabra must delve deep inside Alan's heart to delicately repair the valve.

Cardiac surgeon Aaron Ranasinghe receives news of a donor heart for mother-of-three Katie. Less than 200 heart transplants are performed each year in the NHS, and Katie has spent over three months in hospital waiting for a match. Aaron must work quickly to remove her old heart, prepare for the new one, and then get blood flowing through it as soon as possible. There's a tense wait to see if the heart will be strong enough to keep Katie alive. Surgeons also prepare to operate on Edward, a 75-year-old grandfather who needs life-saving surgery for aggressive kidney cancer. And in the neurosurgery theatres, surgeon Alex Paluzzi aims to end Carole's five-year struggle with extraordinary debilitating pain in her face, caused by a blood vessel pressing on her trigeminal nerve and wearing it down with each pulse of her heart.