106-year-old undergoes pacemaker operation

                                            Leslie Dunn with staff from Colchester General Hospital

A 106-year-old man has become one of the oldest people in Britain to have a pacemaker fitted.Great-grandfather Leslie Dunn was rushed to hospital last week after collapsing while making a cup of tea for his friends.
It was while he was being treated in Colchester General Hospital that doctors noticed his heart was occasionally beating too slowly.Surgeons then decided to go ahead with the hour-long procedure to fit the device.Dr Allan Harkness, who performed the operation, said only a few others of an older age had undergone the surgery.He said: "His story shows how some patients are managing so well at an extremely advanced age and that we don't view age as a barrier to treatment.
A pacemaker was fitted for a 107-year-old man in Scotland, but Colchester General Hospital's previous record had been two 101-year-olds.It is thought Mr Dunn, who retired from the Coldstream Guards as a major in 1956, will have recovered in time to return home next week.