Heart Operations

HC Deb 17 December 1987 vol 124 cc673-5W

Mr. Hume

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what information is available as to indicate the

Operations performed during quarter ending
	March 1984	June 1984	September 1984	December 1984	March 1985	June 1985	September 1985	December 1985	March 1986	June 1986	September 1986	December 1986
Operations affecting Myocardium	36	46	29	28	32	18	12	8	21	45	34	40
Insertion of pacemaker	34	51	43	46	42	48	49	41	34	41	41	38
Heart valve replacement	18	18	10	10	12	10	3	4	12	26	13	12
Operations on Septum within Heart Cavity	10	11	3	2	5		1		5	12	3	6
Other Heart operations	16	20	4	8	3	9	1	4	13	13	8	9
Total	114	146	89	94	94	85	66	57	85	137	99	105

Mr. Hume

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what figures are available to him to indicate average waiting periods for heart surgery in Northern Ireland in relation to those in regions in Britain and elsewhere in the European Economic Community.

current waiting lists in Northern Ireland for each category of heart operation at present and at each quarter since December 1983;

(2) what information is available to indicate the number of patients on the waiting list for heart operations since December 1983 who have died before having their operation.

Mr. Needham

The table shows the total waiting list for cardiac surgery at the end of each quarter since December 1983. A recent review of waiting lists means that the figure at 30 September 1987 is not comparable with those at earlier dates. Information is not held centrally on the type of operation required by patients on the waiting list or on the number of patients who die before their operation.

Waiting list for cardiac surgery
	Number
31 December 1983	444
31 March 1984	476
30 June 1984	428
30 September 1984	431
31 December 1984	389
31 March 1985	457
30 June 1985	434
30 September 1985	359
31 December 1985	468
31 March 1986	454
30 June 1986	459
30 September 1986	407
31 December 1986	409
31 March 1987	442
30 June 1987	447
30 September 1987	607

Mr. Hume

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what figures are available to indicate by category and by hospital the number of heart operations performed in each quarter since December 1983.

Mr. Needham

The royal Victoria hospital is the only hospital in Northern Ireland which carries out cardiac surgery. The numbers of heart operations notified to the Department through the hospital activity analysis scheme are shown below.

It is estimated that this scheme captures data on 90 per cent. of cases treated at the royal Victoria hospital.

Mr. Needham

The table shows the number of patients on the cardiac surgery waiting list at 30 September 1987 by waiting time.

Waiting time	Number
Less than three months	124
Three and less than six months	72
Six and less than 12 months	112
One and less than two years	114
Two and less than three years	54
Three years and over	131
Total	607

Because of regional differences in the designation of cardiac and thoracic surgery, it is not possible to compare the Northern Ireland figures with those for other parts of the United Kingdom or the European Economic Community.