Pioneering two-in-one heart op is a life-saver for Cherie

Cherie Bason, 65, a retired cashier, was facing open heart surgery after she was diagnosed with coronary artery disease and a heart valve leak.

The operation usually involves a three-month recovery after the breast bone is cut. But specialists at Basildon University Hospital in Essex have invented a keyhole procedure to  reduce recovery time to one month.

In the first surgery of its type in the UK, doctors tackled both conditions in a single procedure.

The operation involved a coronary angioplasty to widen a blocked artery through keyhole surgery and a valve repair to stop the leak.

Cherie is already up and about just four weeks after the operation.

The pensioner had the operation on April 22 and four days later she was allowed home to husband Trevor, 77.

Surgeons last night confirmed that the procedure, the first of its type in Britain, will be rolled out nationwide.

Cherie, from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, said: “I was nervous before the operation but the doctors filled me with confidence.

“I’m already able to go out for a walk every day, climb stairs, do light housework and I generally feel great.

“To be doing all that four weeks after the surgery is incredible.

“I think Trevor is happier than anybody. He’s been doing cooking, gardening and housework. He’s not used to it and already feels he needs a holiday. I dread to think how he’d be if I had a recovery time of 12 weeks. It’s so lovely not to be breathless anymore and I’m grateful to the doctors.”

Cherie was being treated by cardiologist Paul Kelly who contacted cardiac surgeon Inderpaul Birdi at the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre.

He suggested the two operations could be done at the same time and the two consultants successfully ­performed the procedure together.

Mr Birdi said: “We have been pioneering keyhole heart valve surgery in Essex for a few years now and we’ve seen the real benefits of it.”