NHS 'leads the way' on heart treatment

NHS treatment also means patients recover more quickly, according to the study of over one million cardiac operations in more than 20 countries.

The NHS leads the table despite caring for some of Europe's oldest patients and having a high proportion of operations regarded as urgent, said the study from the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Death rates in England are 25 per cent less than the European average and inpatient days are about 10 per cent fewer.

The European average death rate for coronary artery bypass surgery is 2.4 per cent, but only 1.8 per cent in England and 1.1 per cent in Wales. In Scotland, the figure is 2.2 per cent.

This type of surgery accounts for almost 20,000 operations a year in the UK.

Experts predict some 250 lives in the UK are prolonged each year following cardiac surgery compared to the European average.

Today's report includes data from countries such as France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Poland, Sweden and Cyprus, as well as China and Hong Kong.

It also found shorter hospital stays for coronary artery bypass surgery save the NHS about 6.4.

David Taggart, president of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland, said surgeons in the UK submitted the most comprehensive cardiac surgery data in Europe.

"This not only demonstrates a strong commitment to quality and transparency but also provides enormous reassurance for patients.

"The results confirm that cardiac surgery in the UK is amongst the very best in Europe and that mortality rates have fallen by half over the past five years as a direct result of the collection, analysis and publication of outcome data.

"Our European partners should be encouraged that this approach is likely to lead to a similar improvement in results."

John Black, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: "This excellent data is the culmination of years of hard work carried out by NHS cardiac units."