A life-saving 14-hour heart surgery – Hans’s story

From back pain to a hospital stay

For Hans, his job is an important part of his life – it’s his passion, and it’s what drives him every day. Back in 2018, working at Sotheby’s as their Commissionaire and Brand Ambassador, he was walking into work when he felt a jolt in his back. “I thought it was just a trapped nerve," Hans recalls. He made his way to the company’s medical room, and the pain in his back was so great he couldn’t lie down. A colleague called for an ambulance, and Hans was visited by a paramedic, who gave him some painkillers and told him to go home and rest.

While home, Hans started feeling cramps in his left leg so made his way to a local A&E, where he was given even more painkillers. Still in immense pain, Hans rested in bed over the weekend. He wanted to get back to work as soon as he could because he had a big sale coming up the following week, so he decided to go for a walk the following Monday. Hans hopped on the bus, but after getting off, he realised he was stuck. “I was in agonising pain,” he recalls. “I made my way from bench to bench to the next bus stop, and I went home.” After getting home, Hans realised something was definitely wrong – his left foot had turned completely white. 

Making his way between them by bus once again, Hans visited his local hospital, where it was found he had no pulse in his left leg, before being referred to another hospital. Here, he had an ultrasound, which picked up a blockage in his heart. He was transferred once again, finally by ambulance, to another hospital. Hans was immediately taken to the high dependency unit, where he stayed for eight days. It was decided that surgery would be too high risk, so instead he was given blood pressure medication to ease his symptoms. After Hans’s blood pressure dropped to normal levels and the circulation to his leg returned, he was discharged and returned home again.

Making a proactive care decision

Some time passed and Hans’s left leg started getting painful again. After seeing his doctor for an ultrasound, Hans was given multiple treatment options, but was advised just to leave it. After all he’d been through, Hans had had enough. “If I know there’s an option, I want to take that option,” Hans says. The doctor Hans was seeing recommended that Hans should visit Mr Said Abisi, Consultant Vascular and Endovascular Surgeon at HCA Healthcare UK’s London Bridge Hospital. Using his private medical insurance, Hans booked an appointment.

“When I met Mr Abisi, he was all I needed,” Hans remembers. After months of not getting the treatment he needed, Hans was overjoyed to finally be getting the care for him. “We talked for an hour and he said ‘Hans, I’ll get you as close as possible back to where you were before’.” With Mr Abisi, Hans had stents put into his leg arteries to restore the blood flow and stabilise him. With this, Hans was able to get back to how he was feeling before his issues arose.

A year passed, and Hans noticed an issue with his left knee, which had become incredibly painful. He returned to Mr Abisi to discuss his concerns, and scans identified an aneurysm (a swelling of a blood vessel) in his left knee. Together they decided surgery to treat the aneurysm would be the best option, and booked this in for the following January. After a successful surgery and a swift recovery, Hans’s aneurysm in his knee was removed and he was back to pain-free activity.

An unexpected diagnosis

In October 2024, Hans then started having problems with his right knee, which he knew was caused by an aneurysm there. He visited London Bridge Hospital for a check-up and he was booked in for an ultrasound. Wanting to be thorough, Hans’s consultant also recommended that Hans have a CT scan to check his aorta as well. 

While waiting for the results, Hans had to travel to Paris for work. On the day he was returning home, he had a call from his consultant. While there were no concerns about his right knee, the scans had picked up something much more serious – Hans had an aortic dissection. This is a tear in the inner wall of the aorta that lets blood flow between its inner and middle layers. The space between the layers fills with blood and results in the aorta swelling. Hans’s aorta had swollen to six centimetres in size – the usual size of the aorta is three centimetres, and if this ruptured it would be fatal. He was asked if he wanted to book an appointment with Mr Morad Sallam, Consultant Vascular Surgeon at London Bridge Hospital, for the following week. “I asked if we could do it tomorrow,” Hans recalls, “and we booked the appointment for the next day.”

Hans discussed his options with Mr Sallam, and he was told he would need aortic surgery. This would involve replacing his aorta, the main artery that delivers oxygenated blood to the whole body from the chest down to the pelvis. This isn’t a standard heart surgery and it’s rarely, if ever, performed outside of the NHS. Repairing the aorta requires a very large incision, a lengthy operation and months of recovery. Alongside Mr Sallam, Hans’s surgery at London Bridge Hospital would be performed by Consultant Cardiovascular Surgeon Mr Christopher Young. “My partner was involved at every step, and we met Mr Sallam and Mr Young almost every other week,” Hans says. 

Together, Mr Sallam and Mr Young discussed Hans’s surgery with him. Hans was shown a diagram of the procedure he’d be undergoing, and initially it was discussed that Hans’s surgery would be done in two parts due to its complexity. However, it was decided that due to Hans’s age and condition, the optimal approach would be to repair Hans’s aorta in a single surgery.

14 hours to change a life

Hans’s procedure was booked in for January 2025. Despite needing such a major operation, the reassurance and expertise of the team meant that he was feeling ready for his surgery. “I felt so comfortable, and so at ease,” Hans recalls. There were still some worries, however. One of the complications of open-heart surgery is paraplegia due to an inadequate blood supply to the spine during surgery. “I was really scared of losing my ability to walk,” says Hans. “I’d lose my job, and half my life – my job is so important to my life. But I’m the most positive person in the world, so I didn’t let that sit.”

As Hans would need an epidural injection for anaesthetic for his surgery, he came into London Bridge Hospital the day before. The day of the surgery, Hans met his anaesthetist and his surgical team, and was prepped for his procedure. Even in times that could otherwise be worrying, Hans and the team kept a sense of humour. Hans remembers, “It was all laughter, we laughed about everything.” Hans was put under general anaesthetic for his surgery, which started at 7.30am.

During the surgery, a large incision was made across Hans’s chest and abdomen to access his aorta. Hans’s heart was stopped, and a bypass machine was used to pump blood around his body while his dissected aorta was replaced using a fabric graft. Due to the complexity of Hans’s surgery, the team were operating on him for almost 14 hours.

Starting the long road to recovery

Waking up the day after the surgery, Hans was joined in his room by his partner and Mr Sallam. “Mr Sallam came over to me and asked if I could move my toes – and I could,” Hans recalls. This came as a massive relief – prior to surgery, Hans had been warned that one of the significant complications of the surgery could be paralysis from the waist down, meaning he’d spend his life in a wheelchair. But by being able to move his toes, Hans knew that he’d be able to leave the hospital walking. 

Throughout his recovery, Hans was supported by a team of nurses at all times. “It’s hard to explain how good it felt to have people around you who cared,” Hans says. After a major operation, this was all he needed. Hans could barely move after his surgery, but someone was always ready to help. “Grace, my nurse, was always there, and she made sure that what I needed was done.” Even for things like moving his mealtime to earlier in the evening, Hans had the support of his nurses to ensure his stay was comfortable. “The care in the hospital was fantastic,” he says.

As part of his recovery, Hans was also supported by the physiotherapy team. Three days after his surgery, he was out of bed and marching on the spot, and while he wasn’t always the biggest fan of the therapy, Hans appreciated the team’s support with his recovery. Soon after this, with the encouragement of the physiotherapy team, Hans was walking up stairs and getting back to his normal movement. Hans’s recovery was slightly extended due to issues with his kidneys, but the entire time he was getting the care he needed. “From the moment you’re admitted to when you’re discharged, you’re never alone,” Hans says. “There’s always someone with you, in the most difficult circumstances and in the better parts.”

Once he was feeling ready to return home, Hans was discharged from the hospital. “I woke up that day with a smile on my face. I was so happy that I could do things again,” Hans says. As he was leaving, all his nurses came to bid him farewell, including Grace. “There are heroes in the building. Not just the doctors, but everyone there.” After returning home, Hans had some issues with his wound over-healing, but he’s still receiving care from HCA UK to address this. 

Alongside his physical recovery, Hans also dealt with the mental effects of the surgery. “Mr Sallam told me that during the surgery, I had to be rescued three times,” he says. “It’s sinking in a lot more now. I’m so lucky that I’m still here.” But Hans’s surgery has also given him a different outlook on his life. A naturally optimistic person, Hans is now even more grateful for the life he has. “In some ways, I don’t think it’s luck,” Hans says. “It’s the way the job has been done. How the surgeons approached and did their job – luck isn’t an option in that.”

A happy return to work

Hans returned to work four months after his surgery, and he’s enjoying getting back to normality. Initially taking it at a slightly slower pace, Hans is very happy to be back to doing what he loves. “I’m very lucky to have a job where I can go in and do what I need to do,” Hans says. “They say I’m the hardest non-working person there, but it’s because I love what I do – it never feels like work.” Hans even invited his surgical team to an evening auction to enjoy the art there together. He also continues to see his nursing team, including Grace, to thank them for their care and for his own personal recovery. “People deal with things in different ways, but they’re part of my world,” Hans says. “They’re part of my second life.”

But above all, Hans is incredibly grateful for the care he received from the entire team at London Bridge Hospital. “It’s been a journey, and one that’s not over yet,” he says, “but it’s one I can look back on and feel extremely privileged to have received the care I got.” And by sharing his story, Hans wants to make a difference to anyone who’s going through problems similar to his and to show the benefits of seeking help and being proactive with your health decisions. “If I can help other people, and make a difference to someone’s life, that’s all I want.”

We’d like to thank Hans for sharing his story with us, and we wish him all the best for his continued recovery.