§ Dr. Owenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what actual and percentage increase there has been in (a) National Health Service operations on the heart and heart valves, (b) the number of heart pacemakers inserted on the National Health Service, (c) National Health Service surgical operations on the chest and (d) artificial replacements of the hip, since 1979 or the closest date to that for which figures are available.
§ Mr. John PattenI understand that the numbers of heart and heart valve operations reported to the United Kingdom Cardiac Surgical Register of the Society of Thoracic ad Cardiovascular Surgeons in 1979 and in 1981 (the latest date for which figures are available) were 12,165 and 14,692 respectively, an increase of 2,527 or 20.8 per cent. The estimated numbers of patients discharged from NHS hospitals in England and Wales after the other operations were as follows:
Increase 1979 1981 Number Per cent. Insertion of pacemakers (including replacement) 5,080 6,120 1,040 20.5 Operations on thorax (excluding heart operations, oesophagoscopy and bronchoscopy) 23,510 26,260 2,750 11.7 Hip replacement 31,130 35,220 4,090 13.1