Surgeons: At the Edge of Life

Meet the world-leading surgeons pushing science - and the human body - to its limits.

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  E1Sacrifice to Survive

  May 6, 2026· 59m

  One patient’s rare penis cancer requires a partial amputation, and another patient with severe endometriosis must have a huge cyst and a damaged kidney removed.

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  E2Life on the Line

  May 13, 2026· 59m

  Surgeons face a difficult dilemma in the middle of a life-saving bile duct cancer operation. A chest sarcoma proves more challenging than expected, with no room for error.

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  E3Replace and Renew

  May 20, 2026· 59m

  A surgeon must remove part of his patient’s tongue and reconstruct it to save her from an aggressive cancer, and surgeons perform a rare simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplant.

The surgeons of NHS Lothian perform high-risk procedures for patients across Edinburgh and beyond, bearing the ultimate responsibility for transforming and saving lives.

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  E1A Lot to Lose

  Feb 26, 2025· 58m

  Surgeons attempt a rare and high-risk transplant to transform their 21-year-old patient’s life, and perform a complex kidney procedure vital for another patient’s survival.

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  E2In the Balance

  Mar 5, 2025· 59m

  Surgeons battle to save a patient with an aggressive tumour and a patient whose aorta – the body’s biggest artery – could rupture at any moment.

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  E3All or Nothing

  Mar 12, 2025· 59m

  Surgeons at NHS Lothian take on high risk surgery to repair a failing heart and take extreme measures to prevent the return of breast cancer in their young patient.

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  E4Rebuild and Renew

  Mar 19, 2025· 59m

  Surgeons attempt to save a patient’s life and her ability to smile, by removing a tumour in her cheek and reconstructing her facial nerve.

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  E5The Finest Margins

  Mar 26, 2025· 59m

  Surgeons at NHS Lothian remove a recurring brain tumour from a 25-year-old patient and attempt a rare ‘off pump’ cardiac procedure on a man with severe coronary disease.

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  E6Nothing Left to ChanceFinale

  Apr 2, 2025· 58m

  Doctors at NHS Lothian perform high-risk surgery to save their patient’s sight, and three specialists work together to treat a complex case of advanced ovarian cancer.

Surgeons at University Hospital Southampton perform complex procedures to transform and save their patients’ lives. But pushing the boundaries of medicine comes with great risk.

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  E1A Risk Worth Taking

  Mar 27, 2024· 59m

  Surgeons at University Hospital Southampton take on high-risk surgery to remove life-threatening tumours.

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  E2All for One

  Apr 3, 2024· 58m

  At University Hospital Southampton, surgeons perform life-saving surgery: taking out a patient’s eye and the tumour behind it and removing an 83-year-old man’s cancerous bladder.

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  E3Best Laid Plans

  Apr 10, 2024· 58m

  Surgeons at University Hospital Southampton operating on two patients - removing rare tumours and correcting a patient’s bowed legs - must alter their plans to avoid catastrophe.

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  E4Hope

  Apr 17, 2024· 58m

  Surgeons at University Hospital Southampton face complex surgery to reconstruct a patient’s jaw and remove a cancerous oesophagus.

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  E5We Can Rebuild You

  Apr 24, 2024· 59m

  Surgeons at University Hospital Southampton perform high risk spinal surgery and attempt to repair a patient’s aorta - the body’s biggest artery - that’s threatening to burst.

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  E6Make or BreakFinale

  May 1, 2024· 58m

  Three surgeons operate together on a motorcyclist at University Hospital Southampton’s major trauma centre after a crash leaves the patient with life-changing injuries.

Surgeons at Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge perform complex procedures to save lives. But this comes with great risk, and the surgeons bear the ultimate responsibility.

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Surgeons at Royal Papworth and Addenbrooke’s hospitals perform complex procedures to save lives. But this comes with great risk and the surgeons bear the ultimate responsibility.

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Surgeons perform extraordinarily complex and risky procedures to transform lives.

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Surgeons perform extraordinarily complex and risky procedures to transform and save their patients’ lives. The pressure is intense as they push the boundaries of modern medicine.

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Three-part documentary following surgeons, theatre staff and patients of the surgical unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, where 700 operations are carried out every week.

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