Saracens’ Nick Isiekwe discusses his return to rugby just four months after major heart surgery

Saracens’ Nick Isiekwe has spoken about returning to rugby just four months after major heart surgery.

In September last year, Isiekwe underwent surgery after being diagnosed with a dilated aorta (the main blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood out of the heart at high pressure).

Isiekwe feared his career would come to an end at the age of 24, but remarkably, he managed to return to action very quickly.

Although he failed to make the England squad for the Rugby World Cup, it is unbelievable that he is still playing rugby given what he has endured.

said Isiekwe The times: ‘It was a scary time. There was a real sense of, ‘This problem is real. This problem is big.’

Isiekwe was concerned that his career should end at the age of 24

“The gratitude I have for this man is incredible. We like to play sports and people watch, but it’s guys like Conal Austin (cardiothoracic surgeon at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital in London) who save lives. They are the real heroes. The things these guys can do are amazing.”

Austin is believed to be the first person to return to elite contact sports after surgery for a dilated aorta.

Austin says Isiekwe’s situation was “unique.” He said, ‘I was amazed. I tell this to my surgical colleagues around the world. They say it was unique to return to top-level contact sport and represent England so soon after major heart surgery.”

One of the specialists Isiekwe visited was Dr Maria Tome Esteban, who made the referral for Pears surgery, a procedure not approved in the US, but which has been performed on more than 840 people around the world.

Austin says if Isiekwe had been an NFL player it would have been a career-ending surgery.

Austin said, “Fate was on Nick’s side that he went to Maria. If he was an NFL player or a person from around the world, it would have been conventional surgery that ended his career.

Isiekwe’s blood pressure had to be drastically lowered, but it was not necessary to stop his heart and put him on a heart-and-lung machine.

Isiekwe said, ‘That’s one of the ways it’s revolutionary. We talked at length about the operation. It was quite exciting and it took me a few days. The way he was optimistic that I would not only be back healthy but also play rugby again was unbelievable.

Cardiothoracic surgeon Conal Austin says Isiekwe has changed his perception of how to advise his patients

Isiekwe says he has a different appreciation for life and being a father now

“The first moment I was really scared about what was going on was on the table when they put you under water because then it’s real and you’re about to have major surgery. Before that, the determination I had got me through.”

Isiekwe says he has a different appreciation for life and being a father after the operation.

He said, “When you get to the other side of the operation, you get a different appreciation for life, for being here, for being able to hold your kids. You don’t want to take those things for granted.

“I want to maximize the athletic potential that I have. That was definitely a big turnaround. I don’t know if it’s from the surgery or from becoming a father.’

Austin added that Isiekwe had changed his perception of how to advise his patients.

Austin said, “It’s unprecedented worldwide. Nick Isiekwe has changed my perception of how to guide my patients through accelerated recovery after cardiac surgery. He’s an incredibly determined athlete.”