Annex A > Chapter 19 - Statistics Relating to the Clinical Performance of Paediatric Cardiac Surgical Services in Bristol Compared with Other Specialist Centres during the Period 1984 to 1995 > Statistics relating to clinical performance at other specialist centres (for the purpose of comparison) available from external sources > Statistics relating to clinical outcomes available from professional meetings, contacts and journals as a means of comparison
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Statistics relating to clinical outcomes available from professional meetings, contacts and journals as a means of comparison
51 Mr Wisheart referred in his written evidence to the Inquiry to the sharing of data with other centres:
`This took place through communication and publication of data within the context of peer reviewed scientific meetings and journals, including the informal meetings of paediatric cardiac surgeons in Great Britain from 1990. In addition to attendance at meetings ... both Mr Dhasmana and I regularly read the journals related to Paediatric Cardiac Surgery.' [85]
Professional meetings, other professional contacts and professional journals
52 Mr Dhasmana in his written evidence to the Inquiry stated:
`... there was some scepticism attached to information received in conversations with colleagues from other centres, as people did not normally like to talk about problems faced during operations. ... Mr de Leval is probably the only surgeon to have published his problems in continuing with the Arterial Switch Programme at the G.O.S. [Great Ormond Street] in 1993/4.' [86]
`Both Mr Dhasmana and I regularly attended National and International Conferences, in the field of paediatric cardiac surgery, as well as various courses and seminars, which were held from time to time. There were informal conversations with colleagues at other centres, of which there will be no record. I visited other centres for periods of up to one week ...' [87]
`I attended the "Surgery for Congenital Heart Disease" course run by G.O.S London every other year from 1986 to 1994, and the "Paediatric Cardiac Surgical" course in Paris in 1993. I also attended paediatric cardiac surgical symposiums and meetings run at the annual meetings of S.T.C.V.S-U.K, the European Association, the British Cardiac Association, British Paediatric Cardiac Association (B.P.C.A) and the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (A.A.T.S) frequently. Therefore I had knowledge of advances being made and procedures adopted to keep pace with developments in paediatric cardiac surgery. The information available on these courses and at the various seminars, conferences and meetings were in regard to certain groups of operations performed at known centres of excellence ... However, discussions with colleagues at these events were useful in helping to make further improvements. It was as a result of discussions at a B.P.C.A meeting in Birmingham, in November 1992, that I approached Mr Brawn for further help with the Arterial Switch Programme at Bristol.' [88]
`I am not aware of any published mortality data on paediatric cardiac surgical operations from a particular centre. However, I have attended meetings where excellent results in one particular operation from a centre were presented, i.e. Arterial Switches and A.V. Canal from meetings held at Birmingham, Bristol and COBE [89] respectively. Arterial Switch results for complex T.G.A. and other conditions from Dublin. I have also seen published results of Arterial Switches in T.G.A with V.S.D. from the Brompton Hospital in 1988 or 89. These were isolated publications of good results in a particular group. We ourselves presented some good results at some of these meetings (List attached - Annex B), [90] and published our good results in Senning operation (British Heart Journal. 69.5, 436-441, 1993) ...' [91]
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Footnotes
[85] WIT 0120 0292 Mr Wisheart
[86] WIT 0084 0052 Mr Dhasmana
[87] WIT 0120 0292 Mr Wisheart
[88] WIT 0084 0052 Mr Dhasmana. Mr Dhasmana's visit to Birmingham is referred to in more detail in Chapter 27
[89] `COBE' refers to COBE Cardiovascular Inc., which ran meetings for paediatric cardiac surgeons in the early 1990s
[90] WIT 0084 0061 Mr Dhasmana. See Chapter 3 for an explanation of these clinical terms
[91] WIT 0084 0051 Mr Dhasmana