Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death - Episode Guide

The first episode features Stephen, 53, whose rapidly growing and aggressive mouth and jaw cancer is a cause for critical concern. Surgeons Prav Praveen and Sat Parmar need to urgently perform an extraordinary and radical procedure - removing and discarding Stephen's jaw, two thirds of his tongue and his bottom teeth, while rebuilding the jaw using bone from his leg and creating an entirely new tongue from his own flesh.

Dan, 37, faces one of the hardest waits of his life. Diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis - a disease that is causing his bile ducts and liver to fail - his only chance of survival is a liver transplant. A potential donor has been found, and now the race is on to assess the liver's viability. Once in surgery, Mr Bartlett works against the clock to quickly remove the old, diseased liver. But while trying to restore the blood supply to the new organ, there's a worrying lack of blood pressure.

Pratyush prepares himself for what he hopes will be a life-changing surgery. A fast-growing tumour is pressing on his brain stem, threatening his hearing and making it difficult for him to walk. If surgeons don't operate soon, his tumour could potentially push him into a coma, before ultimately killing him.

It's a massive challenge for consultants, Mr Monkhouse and Mr Kay, who know that while the tumour is benign, its size makes it one of the biggest that they have encountered. The operation is complex as the pathway to the tumour site is very small and surrounded by a network of vital vessels. Removing the tumour without damaging anything will take incredible skill and one wrong move could cause a life-threatening cardiac arrest.

There is also a sense of urgency for Mariella. She has a recurring bowel cancer and an extraordinary operation is needed to save her life. Surgeons Mr Youssef and Mr Shariff will first have to remove the tumours before performing a ground-breaking procedure where a heated chemotherapy wash is poured into her body in an attempt to kill any lurking microscopic cancer cells and prolong her life.

Finally, over in the Major Trauma Centre, a 22-year-old male is rushed in, having suffered potentially life-changing stab wounds to both his hand and leg. Hurrying him through to surgery to try and preserve as much of the movement in both limbs as they possibly can, surgeons find that once their patient is on the table, the injuries are more extensive than they had previously thought. The race is on to try and avoid life-long pain or loss of movement for their young patient.

Twenty-nine-year-old Laura faces an excruciating decision. Diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour, she's been told that her only chance to extend her life and spend more time with her young daughter, is to have the tumour taken out. But there's a catch.

In order to make sure that all the tumour is removed, surgeon Ismail Urghratdar must sacrifice tissue from a healthy part of Laura's brain – the hippocampus - which is responsible for storing memory. It's a devastating dilemma for Laura. Should she sign up for a hugely risky surgery knowing that it will have a drastic effect on her memory and may even kill her? Or wait it out and try to enjoy the years she has left?

Across the hospital, Lee prepares himself for a procedure that he hopes will return his quality of life after years of battling excruciating pain. Emergency surgery in 2016, to repair a ruptured colon, left him in agony and since then the pain has been so intense that he contemplated suicide. Now he has a second chance. Colorectal surgeons Chuk Abraham-Igwe and Charles Hendrickse attempt to remove Lee's inflamed bowel and rectum in what is hugely complex and life-threatening surgery. Will this surgery finally bring peace for Lee, having already gone through so much?

And 80-year-old David needs surgery to remove a section of his oesophagus after months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment to shrink a tumour. But while surgeon Raj Nijjar knows that this is the only chance his patient has for survival, he's also aware that in a man of such advanced years, this risky procedure could also kill him.

It's judgement day for 66-year-old Patsy who has been walking around with a ticking time bomb in her chest. Diagnosed with a massive aneurysm in her aorta – the vessel which carries all the blood away from her heart - the aorta is so swollen it's in danger of bursting, which would kill her in seconds.

Surgeon Jorge Mascaro must stop her heart beating, drop her body temperature to 22 degrees and divert all of Patsy's blood supply to a by-pass machine. In a woman half her age, the procedure would carry risk. But given Patsy's advanced years, the threat of stroke and death is huge.

Across the hospital, time is also of the essence for 80-year-old Sue, who having previously battled breast cancer, has now been diagnosed with angiosarcoma - a highly aggressive secondary cancer.

It's a difficult procedure - involving the removal of Sue's breast and chest wall and the reconstruction of the area using skin grafts from her back. And this time, there's an added problem.

When surgeons Rob Warner and Salina Bains get Sue onto the operating table, they make a grim discovery. The cancer has progressed incredibly fast since they last saw it. Now the only option is to remove an even larger area from Sue's chest – which means that she may not have enough available tissue on her back to close the wound.

Finally, it's D-Day for Andrew who has been living with a tumour which is slowly wrapping itself around a crucial nerve in his face. ENT surgeon Richard Irving previously operated 15 years ago, but now it's growing back and Andrew faces a tough decision. The operation carries a significant risk of facial paralysis. But without it, Andrew will almost certainly lose his ability to smile, blink and talk.

Cameras focus on Gary, who has a rapidly growing paraganglioma - a rare tumour that has lodged itself in his spine. He knows that leaving it in place will almost certainly lead to paralysis. However, the operation itself carries a huge risk. One wrong move during surgery could damage the nerves so irreversibly that Gary would never walk again.

With remarkable access to the University Hospitals Birmingham - one of Britain's leading NHS trusts - this new series features some of the most ground-breaking surgical procedures being performed in the UK. Each life-saving or life-changing operation involves split-second decision-making against a constant risk to life. Sajid has a massive aneurysm just above his heart that could burst at any moment. And if it bursts, he would bleed to death. Margaret needs an urgent operation to remove a tumour from the lining of her brain. 

Maxillofacial surgeons face a challenge as Susan's aggressive cancer spreads from her upper jaw to her eye and nose. Without urgent surgery, the tumour may become inoperable. And removing it will leave a significant hole in Susan's face, which is going to need complex reconstruction using bone and tissue from her hip. Raj Nijjar operates on 80-year-old Maureen to fix her stomach, which has shifted into her chest. Richard Irving treats Charlotte's a debilitating facial paralysis that has blighted her life for three years. 

Syed's life hangs in the balance as his testicular cancer has spread into his heart. If the tumour dislodges, it could block prove fatal. Consultant urological surgeons undertake a radical plan with the monumental task of removing the tumour, along with help from the cardiac surgeons. In the thoracic theatres, surgeon prepares to operate on 77-year-old David. Last year, David underwent surgery in another hospital to remove cancer from his rib, but tests revealed that the disease is growing back. Renal surgeons prepare to perform a life-changing kidney transplant. Mark had his kidneys removed due to kidney disease, leaving him entirely reliant on dialysis to survive. His half-brother James voluntarily undergoes surgery to donate his kidney and give Mark his life back.

ENT surgeon Shahz Ahmed prepares to operate on Sarah. At just 35-years-old, she has a large bone tumour growing in the sinus area of her head. As the tumour grows, it's pushing into her skull and pressing on her eye - and without treatment, she will eventually go blind. Mike is having a high-risk but potentially life-saving operation. Despite initially being told that his pancreatic cancer was inoperable, hepatobiliary surgeon Nik Chatzizacharias believes he can remove the tumour. And surgeons operate on Deborah, a mother of three with early-stage breast cancer.

Claire has a tumour growing at the bridge between her brain and her nose. If left untreated, the tumour will spread into her brain and kill her. Surgeon Shahz Ahmed must act quickly. Getting the cancer out safely is only half the battle. If he can't mend the hole he has to make in Claire's skull to get the tumour out, she could develop meningitis. And Alan needs an equally complex procedure that carries a risk of death. One of his heart valves is severely damaged, leaving him with just months to live as his heart struggles to pump enough blood throughout his body. Surgeon Moninder Bhabra must delve deep inside Alan's heart to delicately repair the valve.

Cardiac surgeon Aaron Ranasinghe receives news of a donor heart for mother-of-three Katie. Less than 200 heart transplants are performed each year in the NHS, and Katie has spent over three months in hospital waiting for a match. Aaron must work quickly to remove her old heart, prepare for the new one, and then get blood flowing through it as soon as possible. There's a tense wait to see if the heart will be strong enough to keep Katie alive. Surgeons also prepare to operate on Edward, a 75-year-old grandfather who needs life-saving surgery for aggressive kidney cancer. And in the neurosurgery theatres, surgeon Alex Paluzzi aims to end Carole's five-year struggle with extraordinary debilitating pain in her face, caused by a blood vessel pressing on her trigeminal nerve and wearing it down with each pulse of her heart.