Effects of 'Bristol' on surgical practice in the United Kingdom.

In 1995 a child died following an arterial switch operation for complex transposition of the great arteries. There had been general concern regarding the outcomes for the arterial switch procedure in the unit in Bristol. A review, prompted by parents whose children had died, showed that 29 children had died and four others suffered from cerebral damage postoperatively. The General Medical Council (GMC) considered the conduct of three doctors from the unit. This hearing culminated in the suspension and subsequent removal from the Medical Register of the senior Cardiac Surgeon and the Chief Executive of the hospital. The second Cardiac Surgeon was banned from practising in the field of paediatric cardiac surgery for three years (his results in adult cardiac surgical practice were not called into question). Following this the Government set up a public Inquiry to investigate the causes behind the deaths. This Inquiry, which took three years, made recommendations that have affected the way all doctors in the UK practice.