Next Episode of Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death is
Season 3 / Episode 5 and airs on 04 February 2026 21:00
Cameras follow life-saving operations at the University Hospitals Birmingham.
Both of ex-soldier Luke's legs were amputated right back to his pelvis after he stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device in Afghanistan over a decade ago. He was left with left with extreme nerve pain in both of his stumps. After numerous operations, surgeons Col Mark Foster and Sam George are hoping to stop the pain with a groundbreaking procedure. However, there is a very real threat to Luke's life.
Liz prepares for the removal of a satsuma-sized tumour sitting deep between the two sides of her brain, which gives her crippling headaches. However, the operation poses the risk of a life-threatening bleed or leaving her blinded. Also, surgeons must remove a gigantic breast tumour from Anna, along with a number of her ribs to give her the best chance of survival.
Alfie's life is being slowly being destroyed by a rare tumour which is growing at speed into his nose and cheek. It's up to surgeon Shaz Ahmed to operate on him without causing a devastating bleed. Elizabeth's kidneys have grown to the size of giant watermelons and are threatening to swamp her vital organs. Surgeon Mr Bhatt must attempt to remove both of them - before her health deteriorates any further.
Barbara, a 79-year-old woman, has a rare tumour sitting inside the tear duct in her eye. Surgeon Shahz Ahmed must remove her entire eye and several of her lymph nodes before the cancer spreads to the brain. Zaheer Shah prepares himself to carry out a groundbreaking procedure on his patient Nick, who has recently been diagnosed with bladder cancer. Mr Shah will remove Nick's cancerous bladder and create a new one, made out of his small bowel.
A 17-year-old's liver is failing and he needs an urgent transplant, but it is a very risky procedure, carrying huge potential for serious bleeding. Daniel is also facing a huge surgery. He has a major cancer in his right kidney that has grown into the renal vein and into a major vessel in his heart. If left untreated, he lives with the threat that his tumour could break off and make its way into his lungs - causing sudden death.
Surgeons Andrew Kay and Richard Irving attempt to help 28-year-old Abi, who is suffering from debilitating facial pain caused by a tumour near her brain, which is compressing the trigeminal nerve leading to her face. The will attempt to carve a hole in the side of her skull and detangle the tumour from her nerve before sucking it out in tiny pieces.
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