Cardiac surgery

The facilities for cardiac surgery include four fully equipped cardiac operating theatres, one of these is a hybrid theatre allowing combined cardiac surgery and cardiological procedures.  This is supported by a 25 bedded intensive care/high dependency unit. Ward accomodation is provided on Ward C705 (was ward 51) and C708 (was ward 52).

Following a referral from a cardiologist, patients are seen in outpatients by a consultant (either at the BHI or at a peripheral clinic) and if suitable are then listed for surgery. There are two main types of surgery - heart bypass (coronary artery bypass grafting or CABG) and valve replacement surgery. 

Patients are admitted onto Ward C705 (was ward 51) and C708 (was ward 52) or the day case unit on the day of surgery, where appropriate. Following surgery patients proceed through Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (usually for 24 hours), onto High Dependancy Unit and then back to the ward. Patients normally stay for five to seven days and are then usually seen six weeks after surgery in outpatients. 

Since 1996, a comprehensive annual audit report for adult cardiac surgery has been produced - one of four centres in the UK to make such information available to the public.  Now included in the report is patient mortality outcomes for individual surgeons, Bristol being one of the first hospitals to do so.