Radio Times

Review by:

Alison Graham

Seeing the hope in the eyes of parents of desperately sick children as they listen to medical experts explaining the radical surgery that might just save their babies always tugs at the heart.

Ten-day-old Niels has been flown to Great Ormond Street from his home in Germany. He is gravely ill with a complex heart condition. German doctors struggled to keep him alive, and the London hospital is the parents’ only hope that their baby will live. They hold hands as, via a translator, details of two major operations are set out. Six-month-old Freja has been in cardiac intensive care since she was born and her parents have constantly been by her side. She needs a huge operation, but she might not survive.

About this programme

5/6. Doctors in the hospital's cardiothoracic department, including Cho Ng and Victor Tsang, treat newborn babies with complex heart problems. The programme explores the technological advances that have enabled some conditions to be diagnosed before birth, as well as surgical techniques that have led to increased survival rates. However, surgeons and doctors still face a struggle to ensure long life expectancies for patients and have to consult with parents whose children require complicated operations that have no certainty of success.

Cast and crew

Crew

Director

Rob Gill

Executive Producer

Emma Hindley

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