Rishton teenager's life saved by emergency operation (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Rishton teenager's life saved by emergency operation

8:30am Tuesday 2nd February 2010 in

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A BOY’S life was saved when a surgeon stepped in to perform the first operation of its kind at Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Mark Haworth was admitted to the hospital after he began suffering “severe life-threatening internal bleeding” because of a condition which affected his intestines.

The 13-year-old became so ill, despite blood transfusions, that his doctors had to take the decision to operate there and then, rather than transfer him to a more specialised surgical unit.

His mum Sharon Haworth said: “The hospital has been absolutely fantastic. I am so thankful.

“He became very, very poorly and had to have lots of blood transfusions because his blood count was dangerously low.

“But they were reluctant to operate because it's not a surgery they normally do.

“They were just keeping him stable and trying to get him a bed in Manchester, but they didn't have any.

“It was terrible, we were so worried and then he collapsed.

Sharon, 41, and Mark's dad Dale, 46, waited anxiously while Mark was given more and more blood but his condition deteriorated.

“Alder Hey finally accepted him but it was too late because they couldn't move him,” Sharon said.

“He went into surgery for five and a half hours and it was the longest day of my life.

“They told me they hadn’t done it before but it was a success.”

Mark, of Parker Street, Rishton, was born with a Meckel's diverticulum, a pouch of tissue on the wall of the lower part of the small bowel, but had not been diagnosed.

He first became ill 10 months ago but doctors at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital did not spot the condition.

Sharon said he subsequently went on to have his appendix removed but then his symptoms reappeared last month and he was finally diagnosed.

Andrew Evans, consultant general surgeon and clinical lead for children’s surgery, said: “A lot of routine and minor children’s surgery is carried out in East Lancashire, but more complex operations on children are most often done at specialist children’s surgery centres.

“Mark had severe, life-threatening internal bleeding, and was too ill to travel to another hospital, so we had to take him to theatre here at the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

“Meckel’s diverticulum is relatively rare, and in most cases causes few symptoms.

“The internal bleeding suffered by Mark is an even rarer complication, indeed, this was the first time in the 15 years that I have been working in East Lancashire that I had to do this procedure as an emergency operation.

“We’re all very pleased that Mark is on the way to full recovery.”

Mark is now back at home resting and has been told he must not do any exercise for two months.

Sharon said: “It was such a big operation for a child. But he never actually complained of pain.

“I'd also like to thank Blackburn Rovers, because they gave him a signed goalkeeper's shirt, which he loves because he wants to be a goalkeeper. We are so grateful.”

A spokesman for Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We cannot comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality.

"We would encourage the family to get in touch with our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) and we will investigate any concerns they have.”