this much from first programme but I didn't get pictures; just this article:
Coronary heart disease is one of Northern Ireland’s biggest killers, claiming over 2,000 lives here every year. The Royal Victoria Hospital has developed one of the most experienced cardiac surgical teams in the UK, supported by the hospital’s
cardiology department. Their team of heart surgeons perform over 30 major operations every week.
In the first programme of the new series Superdocs, starting on BBC One NI on January 26 at 9pm, we meet cardiac surgeons Gianfranco Campalani and Mark Jones, and the patients whose lives they hope to improve through surgery.
Gianfranco Campalani, who has lived in Northern Ireland for the past 14 years, is one of the Royal’s leading cardiac surgeons.
Born and educated in Italy and trained in London, Gianfranco has over thirty-five years’ experience in heart surgery.
One of Campalani’s patients is Kevin Madden from Randalstown, Co Antrim. In 2001, Kevin was a rising Antrim GAA star until a football injury requiring hospital treatment revealed a more serious problem – a leaking aortic valve in his heart. At the time he underwent surgery and received a replacement tissue valve. But in 2007 Kevin discovered his valve needed replacing once again and after a consultation with Gianfranco Campalani, he faces the prospect of more open-heart surgery, Kevin continues: “At the end of the day you’re going in for open-heart surgery and it’s the second time around. None of us are immortal and that’s something you have
to consider, but Mr Campalani is a skilled surgeon... and I hope he’ll do the operation to the best of his ability.”
At 38 years old, Mark Jones is one of the youngest cardiac surgeons in the Royal. Mark, from Fintona in Co Tyrone, grew up on a farm and originally wanted to be a vet before training as a heart surgeon. In the documentary, Mark says: “It is a very
rewarding thing to do. There are patients who need a major intervention to improve their quality of life, and to do that is intensely rewarding.”One of Mark’s patients is 65- year-old Belfast man Hedley Roger. A retired businessman, Hedley was suffering from dizzy spells and was diagnosed with aortic
stenosis, where the main aortic valve – the valve which pumps blood around the body - has become dangerously narrowed.
Surgeon Mark Jones knows Hedley urgently needs an operation, to remove his faulty valve and replace it with an artificial one, which could save his life.Superdocs is a new three-part documentary series on BBC One NI which offers viewers a compelling insight into the work of Northern Ireland’s top heart, brain, breast and plastic surgeons.
In the second programme of Superdocs, on BBC One NI on Monday, February 2 at 9pm, we meet neuro-surgeons Steve Cooke, Jabir Nagaria and David McAuley at the Royal Victoria Hospital who operate on a lady who has cerebro-spinal fluid leaking from her nose, a lady with a spinal tumour and a gentleman with a brain tumour.
In the third and final programme of the series, on BBC One NI on Monday, February 9 at 9pm, we meet plastic surgeos Brendan Fogarty at the Royal and breast surgeon, Sigi Refsum at Belfast’s City Hospital. We meet Brendan as he treats a young man with serious burns and Sigi as she helps a woman recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
Superdocs is a DoubleBand films production for BBC Northern Ireland.
