77-year-old grandmother's life saved by first of its kind operation in the north of England

Specialists in Sheffield carried out the procedure to repair a rare, life-threatening weakening in the wall of the largest artery in the body, in an area called the aortic arch.

Left untreated, aneurysms can cause uncontrolled internal bleeding within seconds of bursting.

Judith Savage, from Barnsley, had no idea she was ill when she went to her GP after losing her voice and having a bad cough.

Antibiotics cleared the cough but her voice did not return.

An X-ray revealed something was awry around her vocal cords and the potentially fatal aneurysm was diagnosed through a CT scan.

The team at Northern General Hospital used a minimally invasive procedure, involving inserting an expandable stent graft into the intricate structures of the aortic arch.

Because of her age and poor levels of fitness, Mrs Savage would not have been able to withstand conventional open-heart surgery.

Since the operation she has been recovering well, and can even go to the local shops. Mrs Savage said: “I would have died if I hadn’t had this procedure.

“The doctors, nurses and hospital have been fantastic.”

The hospital is one of only a few centres in Europe to perform the procedure.

In the run-up to lockdown, it has been done just four times elsewhere in the UK – in London and Oxford.

As well as accurately positioning the stent graft with millimetre-precision, the team had to ensure the blood supply from the aortic arch continued to reach the head, neck and upper body while using a machine to rapidly pace the heart to maintain low blood pressure so the stent did not get pushed out of the way.

Consultant interventional radiologist Dr Mark Regi said the operation would not have been possible without the input of every member of the team at the Northern General.

He added: “It is especially significant, given we were able to perform this ground-breaking operation during the recent coronavirus pandemic.”

Dr Stephen Goode, consultant interventional radiologist, added: “Even within normal circumstances, an endovascular approach to repair an aortic arch aneurysm is technically very challenging.

“This is an excellent example of how clinicians in Sheffield are continuing to push the boundaries of medical and surgical practice.

“The fact we were able to safely care for and treat Judith, who had limited options, is an exceptional accomplishment and a testament to how a whole team approach can innovatively extend the frontiers of cardiovascular surgery, even during these unprecedented times.”

Aneurysms along the aortic arch normally affect the elderly, but the condition is mostly discovered by chance.

It means a large number of patients never find out they have an aneurysm before it ruptures and kills them.

Dr Goode said: “There is an important message in here about the fact that aneurysmal disease is a killer and patients need treating. While they are often asymptomatic with this disease, if left they rupture and they die.”

The five hospitals run by the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are not currently cancelling planned operations or appointments and intend to continue to provide as much non-Covid-19 care as possible.