§ Mr. WinnickTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that minimally invasive heart surgery is carried out in cases where it is the preferred choice of the surgeon. [147391]
§ Mr. DenhamMinimally invasive heart surgery is not undertaken routinely at present. Two research projects are currently being carried out into its use and effectiveness, and are due for completion next year. The most common form of heart surgery, revascularisation, is carried out either by open-heart surgery (a bypass operation) or by balloon angioplasty, a non-surgical procedure.