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A consultant vascular radiologist in Hull has performed a world first in keyhole surgery to save a patient with a life threatening aneurysm.
Dr Raghu Lakshminarayan led a team including consultants, radiologist and anaesthetists along with interventional nurses, radiographers, theatre nurses and ODPs, to save the patient by performing the world’s first fenestrated Altura graft at Hull Royal Infirmary.
With his patient, a man in his 80s, now back home after the procedure, Dr Raghu said: “My worry all the time is about the patient and how he is doing.
“I just wanted to see everything was right with the new device and I was relieved that it was.”
The patient developed an aneurysm – an abnormal bulge or swelling – in his aorta, the major blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body, around ten years ago but recovered after surgery.
(Image: Hull Royal Infirmary)
However, he recently developed a second swelling close to where his previous surgery had been carried out, just below his right kidney.
That previous surgery and the position of the second aneurysm meant conventional surgery was not an option this time.
Instead, Dr Raghu worked with Lombard Medical in Oxfordshire to create a special fenestrated (window) Altura graft, the first of its kind in the world, to save the man.
Using a CT scan and 3D printing, Dr Raghu was able to evaluate the fenestrated Altura graft to his exact specifications in relation to the patient’s kidney arteries.
Helping Hull’s Hospital Heroes is a campaign launched by Hull Live and the Hull Daily Mail to raise £25,000 to support our incredible hospital staff.
Workers at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital have been at the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic, caring for the most seriously ill patients.
The campaign aims to raise money to support staff and provide them with small treats to lift their spirits and say thank you for their incredible work.
Donations will go to the charity WISHH – Working Independently to Support Hull’s Hospitals – so will go directly towards hospital workers in Hull.
How you can help
A donation of…
£5 will support a front line nurse with a meal, drinks and a snack.
£10 will provide a nurse with a wellbeing care package including protective face and hand creams to care for skin from constant mask and PPE wearing.
£100 will provide a Wellbeing Room Box, accessible to ward staff with mindfulness and distraction items to help them relax including journals, colouring and puzzle books, felt tip pens, puzzles, distraction games and wellbeing books. The ideas for the contents of these boxes have been inspired by the staff.
In addition to the above, the charity proposes to spend between £1,000 and £3,000 to help make enhancements to staff rest rooms in the hospitals by improving the availability of and access to drinks facilities including coffee machines, microwaves and improving furnishings to enable staff to take a break.
The more money that is donated will enable the charity to support as many of Hull’s 9,500 hospital staff as possible, helping the charity to support them during and beyond the pandemic.
How to donate
You can donate through the dedicated JustGiving page here.
Alternatively, cheques can be made payable to WISHH Charity, writing on the back ‘Hull Live COVID-19 appeal’ and sent to the WISHH Office, Hull Live COVID-19 Appeal, First Floor Administration Block, Castle Hill Hospital, Castle Road, Cottingham, HU16 5JQ.
Surgery was then carried out by Dr Raghu and the team on the patient at Hull Royal infirmary. Working to dimensions of 6mm diameters for the windows, the whole procedure was carried out as keyhole surgery.
The team included Mr George Smith (Consultant Vascular Surgeon), Dr Vivek Shrivastava and Dr Saira Sayeed, both Consultant Vascular Radiologists, and Consultant Anaesthetist Dr Christopher Rigg.
Over four and a half hours, the graft with the two tubes to cover the aneurysm was inserted from the top of each leg with the fenestrations over the kidney arteries to allow the stent extension to be fitted from tubes inserted just below the man’s collar bone and moved into the kidney fenestration.
Watch: The NHS Spitfire flying over Hull Royal Infirmary to thank staff working during the pandemic
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Dr Raghu said: “Knowing what you’re doing is the first in the world does add to the pressure during the procedure because you don’t know how the graft will behave.
“Even though you’ve practiced on flow models or cadavers before, you don’t know how it will behave in the patient or orientate itself.
“If you’re halfway through and the windows are at 2pm on a clock face and the patient’s kidney arteries are at 4pm, you know you’re in trouble. But it went well.”
The patient was well enough to go home after 12 days.
In order to thank Hull’s incredible hospital staff for their tireless efforts, the Helping Hull’s Hospital Heroes campaign was launched by Hull Live to recognise the amazing work of our local NHS staff as they deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
It has raised more than £18,000 and eventually aims to raise £25,000 to make their working days easier and put a smile on their faces. You can click here to donate.
All money raised will be donated to WISHH – Working Independently to Support Hull’s Hospitals – which will provide small treats to lift the spirits of our hospital staff such as meals, drinks and wellbeing boxes to help them relax on their breaks.
It is hoped the money raised could also go towards a long-term facility to support the mental health and wellbeing of staff who deal with emotionally challenging situations on a daily basis.
The hospital employs more than 8,000 people who all play a role in helping patients get the best possible care. Their work has recently been highlighted on the Channel 5 show A&E After Dark, which was filmed in the Emergency Department of Hull Royal Infirmary before the coronavirus outbreak.
Despite a reduction in the number of patients being treated for Covid-19, staff are still on the frontline of the pandemic every day.
Currently, 214 people have died in Hull and East Yorkshire hospitals and sadly, two hospital workers from the trust died after contracting Covid-19.
Adrian Cruttenden, 47, was an administrator within the medical records team and died in May while Richzeal Albufera, 45, a biomedical scientist at Castle Hill Hospital, died in June.
Over 500 people who were being treated in hospital locally have been discharged to recover fully at home.
Click here to donate to the campaign.
Cheques can be made payable to WISHH Charity, writing on the back ‘Hull Live COVID-19 appeal’ and sent to the WISHH Office, Hull Live COVID-19 Appeal, First Floor Administration Block, Castle Hill Hospital, Castle Road, Cottingham, HU16 5JQ.
