Hospital Resumes Heart Surgery

HEART transplants have been allowed to resume at one of the UK’s specialist hospitals, following an investigation into a rise in the number of patient deaths, the Healthcare Commission said yesterday Papworth Hospital, near Cambridge, launched an investigation earlier this month after a “small increase in early mortality” following operations carried out.

This year, seven of the 20 adult heart transplant patients have died within 30 days, the hospital said. The Healthcare Commission carried out a review at the hospital and said yesterday its two- week review had found the quality of care was good, and there were no common factors to explain the rise.

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