Live Heart Surgery At Wellcome Collection

23 October 2007: The mysteries of open heart surgery and the wonder of the human heart - the first organ to work at conception and the last to die - will be revealed at a live heart surgery event at Wellcome Collection on Thursday, 1 November, 1900 - 2130hrs.

The event - a joint initiative from Wellcome Collection and Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - is part of Wellcome Collection's mission to provide radical insights into the human condition and wellbeing. The heart is one of the most vital organs in the human body yet heart related illness and death are widespread in the UK. Four out of 10 deaths in the UK are from Cardio-related disease, according to the British Heart Foundation.

	Event location: Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BE
	Public information: www.wellcomecollection.org or 020 7611 2222. This FREE event is now fully booked but people may queue for returns on the night
	Press tickets: Jo Williamson, 020 7221 7883 or jo.williamson@kallaway.co.uk

A public audience of over 220 people will be linked via satellite to an operating theatre at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, to watch and talk to heart surgeon Francis Wells and the theatre operating team while they carry out a complex reconstruction of a heart valve. Sam Nashef, a Papworth Hospital heart surgeon, will be at Wellcome Collection for the event. He will provide the audience with expert commentary and professional insight into the procedure. Surgical equipment used in the operation will be available for the audience to examine.

The audience will have a rare opportunity to see a human heart and a dramatic insight into the impact surgery will have on the patient's life, and why preserving the natural heart valve, rather than replacing it with an artificial one, allows the heart to function more efficiently.

The event is only the second ever live broadcast of a UK hospital operation to a public audience. The first was carried out at Wellcome Collection in partnership with Papworth Hospital, in July 2007. This second event has been created following huge public interest around the first. Over half of respondents to a survey at the first event said they had gained new knowledge through attending, had had their curiosity satisfied and had seen, heard and spoken of fascinating and awe-inspiring things. 50% of respondents described the event as emotionally moving.

Francis Wells, heart surgeon, Papworth Hospital, said: "The expression, operating theatre, is derived from using surgery to teach doctors and surgeons about medical procedures and the human body. I hope this live event will enable people to have a similar insight into the hidden world of our heart and understand more about surgery and why the heart is so important to keep in good health. The massive level of public interest following the first operation is indicative of the public interest in this area of medical practice and the desire to understand more about medicine."

Lisa Jamieson, Events Manager, Wellcome Collection, said: "The chance to watch a surgical team at work and speak to the surgeon while operating is a privileged and powerful experience, and one that has proved hugely popular. People are amazed by medical-science and the chance to see an operation first hand increases understanding and removes some of the mysticism around surgery. The event illustrates the innovative activities we programme at Wellcome Collection and one of the reasons why we have attracted over 75, 000 visitors since opening in June."

Other forthcoming Wellcome Collection events include:

Fat Britain (Tuesday 30 October 19.00 - 20.30)
Britain is getting fatter and it is predicted that in 15 years 86 per cent of men will be overweight. Are we to blame? Are our Government, our food manufacturers or our town planners? What should be done and by whom? Join our invited guests, including contributors to the Government's latest report, to debate the ethics of the epidemic.

Speakers
Louise Diss, Chief Executive, TOAST (The Obesity Awareness and Solutions Trust
Susan Jebb, Head of Nutrition and Health Research, Medical Research Council.
Harald Schmidt, Assistant Director, Nuffield Council on Bioethics.

Facilitator
Vivienne Parry, broadcaster and journalist.

Materials Library presents Flesh (Friday 9 November 18.30 - 22.00), an event for the curious, where you can touch, feel, smell, cut, drill and even taste flesh at ten specially created interactive exhibits. Surgeons, body builders, butchers, artists and scientists will be on hand to explore flesh in all its forms.

The Clod Ensemble's Fantastic Voyage, (Thursdays 15 and 22 November, 20.00-21.00) Live music and performance inspired by a journey through the human body. Acclaimed music theatre company the Clod Ensemble takes you on a fantastic voyage deep into the interior of the human body. Marvel at the awe-inspiring landscape of this hidden universe as you adventure through inner space. When you come out you may never look at yourself in the same way again.

A full list of forthcoming Wellcome Collection events: www.wellcomecollection.org

Wellcome Collection is a world first, combines three contemporary galleries together with the world-famous Wellcome Library, public events forum, café, bookshop, conference centre and members' club, to provide visitors with radical insight into the human condition.
Wellcome Collection builds on the vision, legacy and personal collection of Wellcome Trust founder Sir Henry Wellcome, and is part of the Trust's mission to foster understanding and promote research to improve human and animal health. Admission is free.

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Public information contact details
Wellcome Collection: www.wellcomecollection.org
Wellcome Collection events: www.wellcomecollection.org/exhibitionsandevents/index.asp
Wellcome Collection: 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, T +44 (0)20 7611 2222


Wellcome Collection press contacts
Wellcome Collection media centre and images:
www.kallaway.co.uk/wellcome.htm

Will Kallaway
T +44 (0)20 7221 7883
E will.kallaway@kallaway.co.uk

Anna Cusden
T +44 (0)20 7221 7883
E anna.cusden@kallaway.co.uk

Jo Williamson
T +44 (0)20 7221 7883
E jo.williamson@kallaway.co.uk

Wellcome Trust press contacts
Wellcome Trust media centre:
www.wellcome.ac.uk/aboutus/mediaoffice

Katrina Nevin-Ridley
T +44 (0)20 7611 8540/ 07973 481485
E k.nevin-ridley@wellcome.ac.uk

Papworth Hospital Press Contacts
Katharine Boness
T +44 (0)1480 364 929
E Katharine.boness@papworth.nhs.uk

Morag Parsons
T +44 (0)1480 364 657
E morag.parsons@papworth.nhs.uk


Notes to Editors
About the Wellcome Trust: The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK and the second largest medical research charity in the world. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending around £500 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing.

About Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Papworth Hospital is the UK's largest provider of specialist heart and lung services, notably cardiology, respiratory medicine, cardiothoracic surgery and heart and lung transplantation. It treats over 20,000 in patient and day cases and almost 30,000 outpatients each year. Performing the UK's first successful heart transplant in 1979 and pioneering the first transplant of a "beating heart" in 2006, Papworth Hospital has established global renown as a clinical and research centre of excellence. For more information visit: www.papworth-hospital.org.uk.


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