The engineer who fixed his own heart

As an engineer, Tal Golesworthy is no stranger to taking things apart, figuring out what the trouble is and putting them back together with the problem solved.

But for over 30 years he lived with a potentially life-threatening issue that was less easy to fix.

The main blood vessel in his body was enlarging and in danger of bursting.

That is until he took an idea from the garden, combined it with some basic procedures borrowed from the aeronautical industry and came up with a "beautifully simple" solution to mend his own heart condition.

He then managed to convince surgeons to implant the device.

Nine years after his operation, his invention has helped more than 30 other people with similar conditions.

And he is now calling for doctors across Europe to start a trial to put it to the test.

Medical images courtesy of Tal Golesworthy. Animation courtesy of Pixillion, external.