Heart Transplantation Programme At Harefield Hospital To Undergo Review

Main Category: Transplants / Organ Donations
Also Included In: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Article Date: 11 Oct 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust will be working with the National Specialised Commissioning Team (NSC Team) and the Healthcare Commission over the next month on a review of Harefield Hospital's heart transplantation programme.

As part of the Trust's routine monitoring and audit of its transplant operations, data is collected on post-operative survival including 30-day survival rates. Over the summer months of 2008, the Trust noted a small increase in mortality rates within 30 days of heart transplant surgery and, specifically, that the small number of deaths had occurred consecutively.

As a result, the Trust commenced an internal review at the hospital, developed an action plan and alerted the NSC Team. The NSC Team subsequently liaised with the Department of Health and the Healthcare Commission and all parties agreed that an external review should take place.

The review will be carried out by an independent heart transplant surgeon and a transplant cardiologist, agreed by the Trust, the NSC Team and the Healthcare Commission. If suitable donor organs become available during the course of the review, the transplant team will consult with the external reviewers before undertaking any heart transplantations. All other services, including the Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) and lung transplantation programmes, will continue as normal.

The review will comprise a case note review, a review of the actions taken so far and those planned by the Trust, and is due to be completed by the end of October 2008.

Professor Timothy Evans, Medical Director at Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust, said, "We welcome the opportunity to work with the National Specialised Commissioning Team and our independent reviewers over the coming month. Heart transplantation is an incredibly complex field of medicine and a high-risk procedure. We are keen to be informed by the conclusions of the review and we will work hard to implement any recommendations which might emerge."

1. In 2007, 24 heart transplant operations were performed at Harefield Hospital, with no deaths reported within 30 days of operation. To date in 2008, 15 heart transplant operations have been performed, with no deaths reported within 30 days for 11 patients. However, during July - September 2008, four consecutive deaths were reported within 30 days which triggered the Trust's own internal review. The external review will look at all heart transplant deaths reported in 2008: four consecutive deaths within 30 days of heart transplantation (as above), plus two deaths between 30-90 days and one death reported beyond 90 days.

2. In 2007, 24 lung (single and double) transplant operations were carried out at Harefield Hospital, with one death reported within 30 days. So far this year, 21 lung transplant operations have been performed and no deaths have been reported within 30 days.

3. The Trust has informed all patients currently waiting for a heart transplant at Harefield Hospital about the review. Patients or relatives with any concerns about the transplant service are advised to contact the transplant coordinators on 01895 82 37 37, bleep 6275, or the transplant senior nurse/modern matron on bleep 6303.

4. The National Specialised Commissioning Team is made up of the secretariat and staff that support the National Commissioning Group and the National Specialised Commissioning Group.

5. The Healthcare Commission is the health watchdog in England. It keeps a check on health services to ensure that they are meeting standards in a range of areas. The Commission also promotes improvements in the quality of healthcare and public health in England through independent, authoritative, patient-centred assessments of those who provide services.

Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS
http://www.rbht.nhs.uk