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Chronicle Live
Health
Sam Volpe

Geordie Hospital hand surgeon on treating the 'walking wounded' like adorable Isobel

Geordie Hospital episode 4 sees star surgeon Susan Stevenson step in to perform a delicate operation on Isobel, then 7, who has jammed her finger in a car door on a shopping trip with her mum.

Susan, a reconstructive plastic surgeon who specialises in hand surgery in Newcastle, has explained why it was important to operate to fix Isobel's finger - and why, though not a natural TV star, she took the chance to appear on TV.

She said though she was nervous about being on TV she had some family advice which helped her take it in her stride - her father-in-law, who has a background in film, told her the key was "just forget the cameras'".

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And with the cameras forgotten, the episode shows Susan buzzing around a busy Monday clinic, where she treats the "walking wounded".

She told ChronicleLive : "I must admit I was nervous. When I was approached I wasn't sure - it's not the sort of thing I'd imagined doing! "But everyone from the production company was lovely and I thought this was an opportunity to show off our trauma service and all of things we do.

"We often deal with the 'walking wounded', people who might have been to ED, been patched up over the weekend and then told to come and see us.

"It can be anything from fractures within the hand to soft tissue injuries. We get lots of bites - animal but also unfortunately human - and we see infections too. Of course the hand is a very vulnerable part of the body."

Little Isobel is a scene-stealer - she even writes a touching diary entry focusing on her day in hospital. Susan explained what her issue had been.

"With Isobel, we call them nail bed injuries," she said. "They tend to happen when someone gets their fingers trapped. The top of the finger gets cut and often the bit right at the top can be fractured. The risk with something like this is that if you leave it to heal by itself, you can see the nail not healing properly and causing problems.

"The idea behind the surgery is to put everything back where it should be!

"And after about three months it's back to normal, and that's the case with Isobel's."

Though Isobel's mum Helen had a few anxious on-screen moments, the surgery went well and hospital nursing staff were even able to give her a cupcake as a special reward for her bravery.

The other patient Susan is seen treating on TV is Malcolm, who's cut his hand after a fall on his future son-in-law's stag do. Keen to be shipshape for the wedding - just a fortnight later - he has an anxious wait in hospital.

"If people fall over - like Malcolm - you might end up landing on the open part of your hand. And if you land on glass, or ceramics like he did, you can risk cutting through the tendon," Susan said.

"That's a thing we tend really tend to worry about. It's a big deal because the tendon's a bit like a rope and cutting it can be like the rope fraying. If it's not dealt with it'll snap a few weeks down the line.

Little Isobel, then 7, features on Geordie Hospital getting her broken finger fixed. (Channel 4 / Newcastle Hospitals)

"So if that happens you have to do the repair and then there's the rehabilitation process. You can't just go back to work the next day."

Luckily, Malcolm's tendon was largely intact, and he was able to avoid the operation and rehab that would otherwise have been necessary.

This meant he - as he is self-employed - was able to minimise the time lost at work.

Susan added: "This is why it's so important to get a good outcome for these patients.

"We see somehere in the region of 30 to 40 patients on a day. I'd dub it organised chaos. Because you have to record everything properly, I'm always seen buzzing around typing up people's notes tapping away at the computer.

"I think I probably thrive on that kind of pressure - though perhaps I wouldn't want to do that five days a week!"

And as for the reaction to the show, the Tyne Valley-based surgeon, 45, said her two girls - aged 10 and 8 - had been delighted.

"I watched it with my kids and they were obviously very proud," she said. "I've been slightly overwhelmed by the reaction to the programme too, but it's been lovely really.

"Some of patients say they're telling friends that their surgeon is 'the one off Geordie Hospital'."

Geordie Hospital now airs on Channel 4 on Tuesdays from 8pm. The whole series is available on All4.

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