Surgeons: At the Edge of Life - new BBC Two surgery series shines spotlight on Addenbrooke’s Hospital

A television series that gives a unique insight into the world-class surgery undertaken at Addenbrooke’s Hospital launches on 18 January.

Hour-long episodes of BBC Two’s ‘Surgeons: At the Edge of Life’ will run from 9pm every Wednesday and feature complex, multi-stage, operations that push the limits of what is surgically possible.

The first episode, titled ‘Back from the brink’, captures clinicians as they treat two patients brought in following road traffic collisions, and another following a fall. One has a severed spinal cord.

It traces the immediate steps taken by highly trained trauma teams to assess and stabilise their badly injured patients, and the surgery needed to get them back on the road to recovery.

First in the spotlight are Dr Mark Kotter, Dr Soumya Mukherjee, Mr Lee Van Ransburg, Mr Jai Rawal, Dr Sam Todd, Dr Rishi Rallan, Dr Adrian Boyle, Dr Svet Petkov and Dr Liam Barrett.

The series features interviews with clinicians, powerful stories from patients and families, and a series of short vignettes that throw a spotlight on lesser known areas of hospital work and research.

Much of the filming was achieved using fixed rig cameras linked to remote galleries based outside the emergency department, or within the Trust’s main theatres.

Medical director, Dr Ashley Shaw, said: “Once again we want to thank our patients and families for having the courage to share their stories and bring hope and inspiration to others who may be facing similar medical challenges. I would also like to thank staff and the production team for the parts they have played in making this important documentary.”