A seven-year-old boy from Colchester, Essex, is now running around with his friends and training for sports day, after becoming the first child in the UK to undergo a life-saving heart procedure called angioplasty. Elliot Atkins was diagnosed with a rare condition called middle aortic syndrome, which caused his aorta and the blood vessels supplying his kidneys to narrow. Without intervention, doctors said he was unlikely to survive. But a series of six angioplasty procedures at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London made him strong enough to withstand a complex aortic bypass graft and kidney transplant. Now nearly a year on, his mother describes him as “a bundle of joy”.
Angioplasty is a minimally invasive procedure used to widen narrowed blood vessels. A small balloon is threaded through a catheter to the site of the narrowing, then inflated to stretch the vessel open. While angioplasty is commonly performed on adults with coronary artery disease, its use in children—especially for rare conditions like middle aortic syndrome—is much less common. Elliot was the first child in the UK to have this procedure for heart failure caused by such a condition. Since his first angioplasty in 2020, the teams at GOSH have gone on to perform the procedure on other children, expanding the evidence base for its use in paediatric cardiology.
“A UK explainer on paediatric angioplasty for heart failure, using the case of Elliot Atkins.”
Middle aortic syndrome is a rare disorder that causes narrowing of the aorta (the body’s main artery) and often the renal arteries as well. This leads to high blood pressure and can eventually cause heart failure. In Elliot’s case, the condition was detected when he was 11 months old after a chest infection. A scan showed his heart was enlarged, and further tests confirmed heart failure and dangerously high blood pressure. The narrowing of his aorta meant that blood could not flow properly to the rest of his body. Traditional surgical approaches carry high risks in young children, so doctors at GOSH decided to try angioplasty first. The aim was to improve blood flow enough to allow Elliot to grow stronger before undergoing a more definitive surgery. The angioplasties widened his vessels and stabilised his condition, enabling him to have an aortic bypass graft and a single kidney transplant last July. The surgery created a new route for blood around the narrowed section of the aorta, improving blood supply and blood pressure.
For UK readers, this story highlights two important points. First, it shows how specialist paediatric centres like GOSH can adapt adult techniques to save children with rare conditions. Elliot’s father, a military medic, noted that when doctors suggested the procedure, the family “couldn’t Google anything to reassure ourselves” because the available data was only for older patients. This underscores the importance of case-by-case innovation in medicine. Second, it raises awareness of middle aortic syndrome and similar conditions that can cause heart failure in children. Early diagnosis and referral to a specialist centre can make a life-changing difference.
Q: What is middle aortic syndrome? Middle aortic syndrome is a rare condition in which the aorta—the main artery carrying blood from the heart to the body—becomes narrowed, often along with the arteries to the kidneys. This causes high blood pressure and can lead to heart failure if untreated. It is sometimes called "one in a million" because of its rarity.
Q: How does angioplasty work for children? Angioplasty uses a tiny balloon inserted via a catheter to widen a narrowed blood vessel. The balloon is inflated briefly, then removed. It is less invasive than open surgery and can be repeated if needed. In children, the procedure is adapted to smaller vessels and may be used as a bridge to more complex surgery, as it was for Elliot.
Q: What happened to Elliot Atkins after the procedure? Elliot underwent six angioplasties at Great Ormond Street Hospital, which improved his blood flow enough for him to have an aortic bypass graft and a single kidney transplant. The operations took place in July 2025. Now aged seven, he is active, happy, and looking forward to his school sports day. His mother says he “just knows he’s got this scar on his tummy, and that’s it.”
What happens next for paediatric angioplasty in the UK? The success of Elliot’s case has already led GOSH to perform the procedure on other children. Long-term follow-up will be needed to see how well the technique works in broader paediatric populations. For families facing rare heart conditions, this case offers hope that innovative treatments can be used even when there is no established precedent.