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Surgeons: At the Edge of Life

Documentaries

Factual: Health & Wellbeing

Meet the world-leading surgeons pushing science - and the human body - to its limits.

Transforming patients' lives, at the cutting edge of medicine. Meet the world-leading surgeons pushing science - and the human body - to its limits.

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Surgeons: At the Edge of Life: Series 1

Jamie Seal

Simon Kerfoot

Richard Bond

Jo Hughes

Dragonfly Film and Television

Surgeons: At the Edge of Life: Series 1: Episode 1: The Longest Day

Factual: Life Stories

The Longest Day

Episode 1

Episode 1: The Longest Day

Series 1

BBC Two - Surgeons: At the Edge of Life, Series 1, The Longest Day

Maxillofacial surgeons Tim and Sat prepare for a marathon operation on 53-year-old Teresa.

Some of the country's top surgeons perform high-stakes surgery. Maxillofacial surgeons Tim Martin and Sat Parmar prepare for a marathon operation on Teresa.

Most people will have an operation in their lifetime, but few of us have a clue what really happens once we are put to sleep. This series goes beyond the theatre doors of the surgical unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, where 700 operations are carried out every week, across 42 specialist theatres. Whilst many operations are vital but routine, this series focuses on some of the country's top surgeons as they perform high-stakes surgery that simply wouldn't have been attempted a few years ago, pushing the boundaries of modern medicine to its very limits. Unprecedented opportunities to save lives offer surgeons the chance to develop their astonishing skills - but also carry daunting risks and responsibilities. A dark sense of humour, a cool head and extraordinary levels of accomplishment are the tools of the trade.

In the first episode, specialist maxillofacial surgeons Tim Martin and Sat Parmar prepare for a marathon operation on 53-year-old Teresa. Four weeks ago, Teresa was diagnosed with a fast-growing cancerous tumour in her face and she will die within weeks unless it is removed. The procedure involves radical surgery to the entire right-hand side of her face, and means she will lose both her upper jaw and right eye. It is an enormous undertaking for Teresa, and for Tim and Sat, too.

Using 3D imaging, the team plan how to remove the tumour and, most importantly, how they will rebuild Teresa's face. Tim and Sat are all too aware that whilst removing the tumour will save her life, it will be devastating if she is left disfigured and unable to face the world. To give her the best possible outcome, they intend to fill the cavity left in Teresa's face with a section of bone and muscle removed from her hip, using a 3D-printed plastic guide that helps them cut out the correct shape bone.

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Documentary following surgeons as they push medical boundaries to the limit.

Documentary series going beyond the theatre doors of Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, where surgeons push medical boundaries to the limits.

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Surgeons: At the Edge of Life

Series 1

Episode 1: The Longest Day

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