''I feel lucky'' ... Daniel Sammut, 15, with his parents Tony and Rachael, uses a battery pack that powers an implant while he waits for a donor organ. Photo: Ben Rushton
LEADING surgeons have defied the state government to insist Sydney needs a children's heart transplant program, amid evidence NSW children have missed out on lifesaving operations.
David Winlaw, the head of cardiothoracic surgery at The Children's Hospital at Westmead, said the surgery was officially performed only in Melbourne where children require a three-month hospital stay, causing stress and dislocation for families. ''Some people just don't pursue transplantation … they never reach us and we never get to assess them,'' he said.
A 2008 review recommended Australia continue with a single paediatric heart transplant centre because of ''low patient volumes, high cost and the specific expertise required''. The review revealed that between 2000 and 2007, 18 children from NSW were referred for a heart transplant, compared to 25 from Victoria, though NSW's population is nearly one-third larger.
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