Most people will have an operation in their lifetime, but very few of us know what happens once we have been put to sleep. This groundbreaking series returns behind the closed doors of the operating theatres of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham to reveal what goes on during an extraordinary range of procedures that test the limits of what is scientifically possible. In this first episode, one of the QE's top consultant neurosurgeons, Ismail Ughratdar, performs brain surgery on 20-year-old Cameron. In order for Ismail to remove as much of Cameron's tumour as possible, during the procedure Cameron will have to be awake and talking. It is an operation where even the smallest mistake can mean the difference between success and catastrophic failure. Cameron had just finished training as an army medic when a tumour the size of a ping pong ball was discovered in his left frontal lobe. The technique for removing as much of the growth as possible without damaging Cameron's ability to ...

Cameras follow surgeons, anaesthetists, theatre staff and patients at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham's surgical unit, where surgeons push medical boundaries to the limit.

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 ...

Cameras follow surgeons, anaesthetists, theatre staff and patients at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham's surgical unit, where surgeons push medical boundaries to the limit.

In recent years, huge advances have been made in the surgical treatment of serious conditions that have developed in the womb. These groundbreaking interventions - often carried out in the first few years of life - have the power to dramatically increase life expectancy. But the risks are often high, and the surgeons who specialise in these procedures need to cope with the added pressure of wanting to get the best possible results for their patients' desperately anxious parents. Birmingham Children's Hospital has a reputation as a world-leading centre for complex paediatric procedures. Consultant paediatric cardiac surgeon David Barron is a specialist in heart conditions that are diagnosed before birth, and his patient, three-year-old Madison, has a rare condition which prevents blood from reaching her lungs - giving her low blood-oxygen levels, and impeding her growth and the development of her organs. To correct Madison's unusual anatomy, David must carry out an intricate 12-hour ...

Cameras follow surgeons, anaesthetists, theatre staff and patients at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham's surgical unit, where surgeons push medical boundaries to the limit.