As well as saving lives, surgeons have the power to transform them. This episode explores how surgeons within the NHS endeavour to meet the needs of patients who require surgery to improve their very poor quality of life. The challenge is balancing the risk posed by highly invasive procedures, against the potential long-term benefit of treating incapacitating conditions which have left their patients housebound and in need of care.

Years of wear and tear have taken their toll on the spine of former butcher Chris, leaving him bent forwards and in constant pain. Chris can’t walk more than a few steps and spends up to 15 hours a day in bed. After three previous surgeries failed to fix the problem, Chris gave up hope - until he met consultant neurosurgeon and spinal surgeon Navin Furtado of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, who offered him a lifeline.

Navin will attempt radical corrective surgery that involves breaking Chris’s spine to remove a wedge of bone from one of his vertebrae, and then realigning his back using an extensive array of metalwork. Operating within millimetres of Chris’ spinal cord means there is a significant risk of damaging important nerves or even leaving him paralysed. But if all goes well, Chris may eventually be free of pain and able to walk again.

Judy also lives a severely restricted life, due to a huge growth on her abdomen. This apron of excess tissue is thought to weigh around six stone and hangs down below her knees. It has made walking almost impossible for Judy and left her feeling “like an alien”. Although Judy was previously denied surgical treatment because a procedure to reduce the growth was categorised as cosmetic, now consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon Sunil Thomas has secured funding in order to take on the task of removing the huge apron of excess flesh and fluid, in a bid to give Judy back her life. But, as the largest tissue removal ever carried out at the QE, the operation brings with it unprecedented challenges for Sunil and the 15-strong surgical team. Show less