When Julia Butterworth went into heart failure last year, doctors across the UK didn’t think there was anything they could do for her.
However, a team at Leeds Teaching Hospitals came up with an innovative solution, and Julia is now walking and able to spend time with her grandchildren.
Last summer Julia had heart failure due to an issue with her tricuspid valve, and the type of replacement valves that were available were not suitable for her.
Julia told the Yorkshire Post: “I was told that there was nothing else they could really help me with, and my life expectancy was about six months at that point.”
But Dr Chris Malkin, a consultant at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, thought there might be a solution using a particular type of valve that was available from a company in India.
He said “I sent out a few feelers to colleagues around the world to see if anyone could help and colleagues in Denmark came back and said they thought there was something that could be done. They thought it was feasible, but they’d never done it before. It was a high-risk surgery but by this point the patient was bed bound and in a degree of multi-organ failure.”
The team explained the risks to Julia and her family, and they decided to go ahead with the surgery. After receiving the required permissions, the valve was imported and modified.
Dr Malkin carried out the keyhole surgery at Leeds General Infirmary with a colleague from Denmark, cardiologist Phil Freeman. During surgery, they then discovered they would need to use an additional valve and place one inside another. The surgery was successful, and Julia was up and walking within a few days.
Julia told the Yorkshire Post: “I’d gone from one stage of being told I could be dead by Christmas to being told that there was a chance that I could survive.
“Since then I’ve been doing quite well and it means that I can play with my grandchildren now and do everyday things basically. I just want to say a thank you to the NHS and particularly my surgeons and all the staff that looked after me while I was going through this emotional roller coaster. One day I was planning my funeral and the next I was thinking about the future.”
Dr Kate Gatenby, another Leeds consultant who was involved in Julia’s care, said: “We’re delighted that Julia is doing well. We’ve gone from someone who was bed bound, with a really limited life expectancy, who was in hospital a lot of the time, to somebody who’s now walking, doing well and able to spend time at home with her grandchildren.
“The number of people who’ve been involved in Julia’s care, it’s a real story of collaboration and teamwork.”
Julia’s husband Michael said: “It’s just amazing. We want to publicly say thank you to everyone involved. All the healthcare staff couldn’t do enough for us.
“She’s improving day by day, she’s able to do more and more things and get out a lot more now.”
Dr Malkin said: “There are lots of people with similar conditions and very few people are able to have this kind of treatment in the UK. This has reinforced my resolve to try and find solutions for these patients with the technology we have available.”