Jarrow grandfather in 'world first' heart op after being given days to live

A grandfather had lifesaving surgery - in a medical first - after being diagnosed with severe heart failure with just days to live.

Unusually, the damage to his Patrick Mulholland's heart had been caused by a tumour elsewhere in his body that was releasing a chemical into his blood.

The 67-year old, from Jarrow, on South Tyneside, had been suffering from stomach and bowel symptoms.

Mr Mulholland required complex heart surgery which saw all four of his valves replaced at once.

He told ITV Tyne Tees he did not initially take in the diagnosis.

"I didn't think it was that bad, you know what I mean?" he said, "but now I look back on it, it's massive.

"A couple of people said I wouldn't come out of intensive care, I was that bad, you know."

Mr Mulholland's diagnosis was extremely rare.

The tumour in his bowel was releasing a chemical into the bloodstream that was attacking his heart, resulting in severe damage to all four heart valves, which work to ensure that blood flows in the right direction.

It is unusual for a tumour of this kind to damage heart valves, and when it does, it generally affects just one.

Given the threat to Mr Mulholland's life, the surgical team was forced to remove all four of his heart valves, replacing them with functioning alternatives.

The procedure was carried out by team at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital led by Professor Stephen Clark, who describes this situation as "unique".

The heart surgeon explained: "The surgery itself took around five hours to perform and Mr Mulholland's heart had to be stopped for about three hours for us to replace all four of those heart valves.

Prof Clark continued: "Only eleven of these operations have been performed in the United Kingdom through history and we're fortunate enough to have done four of these operations here in Newcastle."

This rare situation was made all the more noteworthy as Professor Clark used a new generation of specialist valve, which is designed to be more durable.According to Newcastle Hospitals, Mr Mulholland is the first patient in the world to receive the new devices in a quadruple replacement.

In view of the circumstances, pictures of the procedure were filmed by the Newcastle team, as a training tool for colleagues around the world.

Back home in Jarrow, Mr Mulholland is continuing his recovery from the heart surgery with support from his family.

As someone who was used to walking and cycling, it is a long - and sometimes frustrating - journey.He said: "Not that I'm bad bad, but it's not what I'm used to.

"But I'm here, progressing, and hopefully the cancer treatment goes well."

While his four new heart valves are designed to withstand many years of use, they also bring another benefit.

They are designed to be replaced, if required, through a minimally invasive procedure, rather than further open heart surgery.

Prof Clark explained: "They are designed to be very durable and can be replaced if they wear out over the years without more surgery, by placing folded up valves through an artery in the groin."

For now, Mr Mulholland is embarking on a course of radiotherapy to tackle his abdominal tumour, in what is hopefully another step towards returning to health.