W2C-006 Belfast Telegraph 5-6.txt
New RVH post 'will cut heart surgery waiting list' Laurence White

The waiting time for heart surgery should be dramatically cut with the appointment of a fifth cardiac surgeon at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital.

It will also mean that Ulster patients will no longer have to be sent to English hospitals for heart operations in a bid to shorten the waiting list.

The new surgeon is Dr Gianfranco Campalani from Ferrara in Italy. He has also worked at leading UK hospitals including Guys in London and Harefield in Middlesex where he was part of the transplant team headed by Dr Magdi Yacoub.

Patients

Dr Connor Mulholland, director of the Royal's cardiology unit, said that up to 1,100 heart operations could now be performed annually at the hospital.

Upgrading of surgical wards is to undertaken to handle the increased throughput of patients.

"It means the long waiting lists for surgery and outpatients will be substantially shortened in the next few months," Dr Mulholland said.

"Certain patients will now spend less time in hospital before their surgery is carried out".
