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Trust OK over heart transplants

19/11/2007

Britain's most famous heart and lung hospital has been given the all-clear to resume offering heart transplant operations to patients.

The Healthcare Commission had launched an independent review into Papworth hospital after it raised concerns itself over mortality rates.

Seven out of 20 heart transplant patients between January and September died, while an eighth patient died following a transplant operation last month.

But after a two-week review the health watchdog concluded that quality of care on offer in the Cambridgeshire hospital was good and there were no common factors to explain the recent spike in deaths.

Between January 2004 and December 2006 the national mortality rate within 30 days of undergoing heart transplants was ten per cent, compared to seven per cent at Papworth.

Nigel Ellis, head of investigations at the Healthcare Commission, said that ten recommendations had been made to the trust.

"I want to be clear that we did not find any evidence of inadequate care or evidence that the deaths could have been prevented. But the number of deaths since January has clearly been high," he said.

"This is why we are asking the trust to put in place a number of important checks and safeguards. With these in place, the public can be reassured that everything possible is being done to protect heart transplant patients."

Mr Ellis continued: "Heart transplantation is extremely high-risk surgery carried out on very ill patients. In so many ways, the Papworth hospital transplantation service represents best practice and its good reputation is well deserved.

"Many of its patients may not be alive today without a transplant."

Stephen Bridge, chief executive of the hospital, said the trust was happy with the report's positive outcome.

"We welcome the report and embrace all its recommendations, many of which endorse procedures that we already have in place," Mr Bridge explained.

''We have a highly professional and dedicated transplant team and this report shows that we have many robust systems in place which contribute to the tremendous team effort that goes towards providing excellent care for our patients.''

Papworth hospital was home to Britain's first successful heart transplant and performed one of the world's first beating-heart transplants.