NHS Hero nominee – Arun Pherwani

NHS Hero nominee – Arun Pherwani

Pioneering vascular surgery, believed to be the first operation of its type in the UK, has given a young woman her life back.

Now UHNM consultant vascular surgeon Arun Pherwani has been nominated as an NHS Hero in the Your Heroes Awards by the patient and her mum.

Sophie Walker, 26, of Uttoxeter, had been unwell with a number health issues, culminating in the need for vascular surgery for an awkwardly positioned artery aneurysm. The position of the aneurysm meant there were concerns that the original procedure would have caused a major stroke. The re-planned surgery involved complex and risky grafting of her artery without compromising blood flow to her brain – believed to a first in the UK.

Sophie’s mum, Steph Walker, who works at Royal Stoke University Hospital as an Advanced Critical Care Practitioner, said: “To our knowledge this operation has never been attempted before, with the expected outcome largely based on theory and expert opinions and we were informed that her risks of stroke, paraplegia and death were very high.”

Mr Arun Pherwani  led the team which carried out the surgery following multiple multi-disciplinary team meetings with surgical teams at UHNM and across the country for advice.

He said: “This procedure was a very uncommon operation performed on someone so young. The only way to rectify Sophie’s condition was with this type of surgery, all options had been looked at carefully. The risks that came with this were serious and could have led to significant complications.

“It was a team effort from colleagues at the UHNM. The care that went into planning Sophie’s surgery and after was because of everyone at UHNM, from the multi-disciplinary surgical team, diagnostic and interventional radiology colleagues, anaesthetic colleagues, the theatre team in cardiac theatres, perfusion colleagues, our junior colleagues, ITU and pathology staff, pulled together to help Sophie and her family who are part of this organisation.

“We are fortunate we work at UHNM with very good, helpful and caring colleagues. We are a busy Trust, but we always strive to provide the best care for our patients.”

Steph said: “Mr Pherwani left no stone unturned. He also made himself available day and night to answer any of Sophie’s questions. She is herself a qualified perfusionist so understood all the fine details of the plans.

“There were no statistics he could provide us with regarding her risk of death, if we continued with the surgery or if it was left untreated. He had several ideas of what he could attempt should the initial plan be unsuccessful and I understand that due to the severity of the situation, there was total silence in theatre during the lengthy procedure.

“Bypass was prepared should it be needed in an emergency – something Sophie knew only too well. As a family we had been prepared for the worst which was heart-breaking and something I have only ever seen from the other side in my role in critical care.”

Sophie, who previously worked at Stafford County Hospital but now works at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, said: “Without Mr Pherwani’s unwavering commitment, skill and dedication to my case I probably wouldn’t be alive today. It was a truly pioneering surgery, the first of its kind, an extremely delicate and complex procedure that I’m sure not many vascular surgeons would be able to accomplish.

“Working in cardiac surgery myself, I was all too aware of the major challenges and risks involved in the surgery, and so was Mr Pherwani. However, I knew that if anyone could pull it off, it would be him. Mr Pherwani made himself available to me day and night, reassured me, and most of all cared about me – a skill you cannot teach.”