Patrick Mulholland, 67, from Jarrow has become the first patient in the world to undergo life-saving surgery, involving the use of four specialist valves to replace all of the natural valves in his heart.
The operation, described as ‘ultra-rare’ by surgeon Professor Stephen Clark, is offered as a last resort for patients who have a very uncommon type of heart failure, known as carcinoid heart disease.
Doctors first discovered Mr Mulholland’s heart was very damaged when he was referred for tests relating to symptoms involving his stomach and bowel.
The investigations found a rare heart condition caused by a tumour in Patrick’s abdomen, which was releasing a chemical into his bloodstream and causing significant damage to all of his heart valves.
It is rare for these tumours to damage heart valves and, when they do, usually only one valve is affected.
However, all four of Mr Mulholland’s valves were damaged and he was admitted urgently to hospital with severe heart failure and just days to live.
Speaking about his life-saving experience, Mr Mulholland said:
“I had no idea anything was wrong with my heart. I was pretty fit and healthy, with no symptoms other than the issues with my stomach.
“It was a shock when Mr Clark told me how bad things were. I read up about it and ended up worried whether I’d come out of the other side, with it being such a rare situation.
“I really had no choice about having the operation. After the surgery, I spent four weeks in intensive care and was in the Freeman hospital for 14 weeks in total.
“Today I’m getting on with living my life, spending as much time as possible with my four grandchildren, and easing myself back to fitness.
“My outlook has changed and things don’t phase me as much. I have to go more slowly and easily but I’m just glad to be here to do it.”
Commenting on the world-first procedure, Professor Clark, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at Newcastle Hospitals said:
“This was a unique situation and we’re so pleased to have been able to help Mr Mulholland.
“It was very complicated surgery made more challenging because Patrick was facing multiple threats to his health.
“A serious bowel tumour, which very rarely attacks the heart, had done so. Even then, the circumstances would normally only affect one valve but in this case we were looking at damage to all four valves, hugely increasing the risks of surgery especially as he was in severe heart failure.
“It was a really unusual situation and we had a very ill patient who needed an urgent and unique quadruple valve replacement.
“The valves we used were state-of-the-art and hadn’t been used before anywhere in the world in a quadruple surgery.
“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 new valves through an artery in the groin.
“Patrick has responded well, so they’ll likely be helping his heart for a long time to come.”
Mr Mulholland is now recovering at home and making good progress.
Only 11 of these rare operations to treat heart failure caused by the same type of abdominal tumour have taken place in the UK, with just 15% of heart units ever having offered the procedure.
Four of the 11 operations to date have been carried out by Professor Clark’s team at the Freeman Hospital.
In a move to help other heart units in the UK and rest of the world, Mr Mulholland’s operation was recorded using state-of-the-art video, to provide a training resource for other surgeons who may be faced with this extremely rare situation.
