RPA

Louise’s mouth cancer….
35-years of smoking has finally caught up with Louise. She has found a lump under her tongue and it turns out to be a cancerous tumour. In an attempt to save her life, Professor Chris O’Brien performs major surgery which involves the loss of her lower teeth. It’s a tense time after surgery to find out if she is cured. Three-years later, have the odds been kind?

Digger Sid’s dangerous bubble…
84-year-old World War II Veteran Sid needs a new hip, but first, doctors have to deal with the aneurysm in his abdomen that has now grown to 5.5cm. It will need repairing before it ruptures and threatens his life. A year after his surgery, we catch up with the keen artist.

Patrick’s ear…
Seven-year-old Patrick has turned up in Emergency with a popcorn kernel stuck in his ear. A simple retrieval turns out to be much more and Patrick has his little sister to thank for putting the popcorn in his ear in the first place.

Craig’s coma…
Craig is airlifted to RPA’s Emergency Department after he is found in a coma at home. His family are hoping for a miracle after being told the 30-year-old is suffering from liver failure as a result of a Hepatitis A infection. Craig lies in a coma for 12 days before there are any developments in his condition. Now, nearly 10-years later, we find out how Craig’s story ends.

Maureen’s nasty break…
Maureen has broken her leg in a fall but an MRI scan reveals something far more sinister. The scan has uncovered a suspected giant cell tumour – an aggressive bone tumour. Only surgery will confirm what kind of tumour it is and whether it is malignant. Now, 9-years later, did Maureen’s fall turn out to be her lucky break?

Sean’s muddy, bloody tackle…
19-year-old Sean arrives in Emergency covered in mud and with a rearranged nose after a head clash in a rugby game. His nose is badly broken and he needs surgery to put everything back in place. Much to Sean’s disappointment he is given strict instructions to stay off the football field for at least six weeks. Now, what happened to Sean’s footy career?

THIS WEEK ON RPA WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Series Return: Thursday, October 11 at 10pm

Brett’s double blow…
In 1999 Brett was admitted to RPA unable to pass urine and complaining of numbness in his lower legs. He thought it was the result of a fall down some stairs but instead doctors deliver the bad news that he has a tumour on his spine. Eight-years down the track is Brett cured?

Robyn’s saviour…
Robyn has liver disease and, at 44-years-old, is told she’ll die without a transplant. During her emotional journey she never loses sight of the ultimate sacrifice required to keep her alive. 9-years on, her life has changed forever.

Hugh’s hooked…
7-year-old Hugh loves fishing, but he didn’t hook one on this fishing expedition, he landed himself in Emergency instead after he captured his own finger. Four-years on is Hugh still after that elusive shark?

Revisit some of RPA’s most memorable patients when RPA Where Are They Now? returns on Thursday, October 11 at 10pm following Nine’s new series The Gift.

Season Final: Tonight at 8.30pm on Channel Nine

John’s radical surgery…
John has been diagnosed with the most common form of male cancer. His own father died from prostate cancer and now John hopes surgery will stop his in its tracks. Can doctors remove his prostate while preserving vital nerves?

Sandra’s triple threat…
Sandra has already endured major heart surgery and a recent angiogram has revealed she requires a large operation for treatment of her brain aneurysm. However, just like her heart operation, the surgery doesn’t go entirely as planned.

Saving Dion’s hip…
Dion made it home after urgent surgery to repair his smashed femur was a success. Tonight, the 33-year-old is back in hospital after a fall at home and it looks like he’s going to need a hip replacement.

Alex’s challenge…
Alex has already suffered a lifetime of operations to manage her Spina Bifida which has left her wheelchair-bound. This time she is about to have surgery with a much happier outcome as she looks forward to the birth of her first child.

THIS WEEK ON RPA
Wednesday, September 12 at 8.30pm on Channel Nine

Carlos’ torturous past…
Carlos was tortured when he was 18-years-old in his home country of El Salvador. His body suffered numerous harsh blows from the butt of a rifle used by his attacker. 26-years later he is admitted to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital vomiting blood due to raised pressure in his veins, a condition which may have been slowly building since his beating eight-years ago. This father of one now needs radical surgery to save his life.

Linda’s fight continues…
Doctor’s have found a large mass in Linda’s right ovary, although they suspect it to be ovarian cancer, the only way to find out is to operate.

Linda has a one child, a nine-year old daughter, if the surgery reveals the large mass to be cancer, Linda will have to have a total hysterectomy.

Valerie’s new knuckles…
Valerie’s hairdressing career is threatened by the constant pain, swelling and restricted movement in her hands due to osteoarthritis. Three-years ago she had two knuckles replaced and now she has come back to RPA to have more replaced with stainless steel and plastic prosthesis that work like mini knee replacements.

THIS WEEK ON RPA
Wednesday, August 22 at 8.30pm on Channel Nine

Andrew’s fall…
39 year-old Andrew is in big trouble after falling six metres through a roof on a demolition site. He is rushed to RPA’s Emergency Department in an ambulance with a large head wound and multiple fractures, including smashed knee caps and a fractured spine.

In part one of Andrew’s story, doctors make some tough decisions as they assess which one of his many injuries should be dealt with first.

Laurence’s time bomb…
19 year-old Laurence has been described as a “medical phenomenon”. One in a million children are born with his rare condition and not many make it into their teens, but Laurence is fighting on.

He has a complex congenital heart disease where several vital functions in his heart are missing. The late Dr. Victor Chang was the first to operate on him when Laurence was just seven hours old, he has had a further six lots of cardiac surgery since birth and now he is in trouble again.

Hope returns
All new to Wednesday night

Australia’s leading real-life medical series, RPA, returns to Channel Nine on Wednesday, August 22 at 8.30pm.

Narrated by Max Cullen, the new one-hour episodes in the 13th season of RPA tell even more stories of the brave and inspiring people who pass through Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney every day.

With access to one of Australia’s leading hospitals the cameras capture around-the-clock drama, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the emergency wards and operating theatres to understand the devotion, dedication and perseverance of Royal Prince Alfred’s doctors and nurses.

In the series return we meet Laurence, a 19-year-old who has been described as a medical phenomenon. Few patients with his condition make it into their teenage years but he is fighting on. He was born with a complex congenital heart disease that meant several vital functions in his heart were missing. The late Doctor Victor Chang was the first surgeon to operate on him when he was just nine hours old and Laurence has since had six more cardiac operations. But now he’s in trouble again.