Heart surgery in United Kingdom

Written by: Samer Nashef - Papworth Hospital
Published: November 2005

This group refers to all major heart operations done by a hospital or by a surgeon. It includes heart bypass, repair or replacement of heart valves and many other types of operation, such as repairing holes in the heart, dealing with scars on the heart and diseases of the aorta (the main artery from the heart). This group also includes combined operations (like a coronary bypass combined with a valve operation), "redo" operations (done in patients who have already had heart surgery in the past) and emergency and salvage operations (done in very sick patients with the aim of saving life).

On average, over half of the operations will be heart bypass, a third will be valve operations and the rest will be a mixture of combined and other operations.