§ Sir Raymond GowerTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his latest information concerning the incidence of cardiac disease in Wales; and what were the approximate figures at the latest convenient date for each of the Welsh counties.
§ Mr. GristInformation on the incidence of cardiac disease in the population is not available centrally. Heartbeat Wales has recently produced estimates of the number of people reporting symptoms of angina but not of all heart disease. The following table shows the numbers of deaths where heart disease was recorded as the underlying cause.
Deaths in 1986 from heart disease1 ICD 390–429 Area of usual residence Number of registered deaths Clwyd 1,626 Dyfed 1,383 Gwent 1,799 Gwynedd 1,008 Mid Glamorgan 1,286 Powys 461 South Glamorgan 1,460 West Glamorgan 1,569 WALES 11,592 1ICD 390–429 includes ischaemic heart disease, hypertensive disease, diseases of the pulmonary circulation and other heart diseases, chronic rheumatic heart disease and acute rheumatic fever.
Mr. Alan WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans his Department has for future hospital treatment for infant cardiac cases needing catheterisation and surgery; what is the number of such cases treated annually; and where that treatment is currently undertaken.
§ Mr. GristThe Department has recently approved in principle the development of a paediatric cardiac unit at the University hospital of Wales to provide cardiology for children of all ages and cardiac surgery for those of one year and above.
On the advice of the Welsh Medical Committee, the very specialised cardiac surgery for new-born babies and infants up to one year of age will continue to be provided at specialist supra-regional centres, the nearest of which is Bristol.
At present, cardiac surgery and catheterisation for infants is provided at supra-regional centres including Bristol, Southampton, London and Liverpool and it is open to consultants to refer patients to the most 413W appropriate centre. Information on the number of children receiving treatment at all such centres is not held by the Department.