Review over heart transplant deaths

From July to September, four consecutive deaths within 30 days were reported, whereas no patients died within 30 days last year.

Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust said it would be working with the National Specialised Commissioning Team (NSC Team) and health watchdog the Healthcare Commission over the next month on a review of the heart transplant programme.

A spokeswoman said: "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 began 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 four unsuccessful operations were carried out by three different surgeons.

Subsequently the unit has completed one heart transplant without mishap, the spokeswoman said.

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, she said.