Heart op deaths scrutinised in Italy

Five people are facing charges in connection with the deaths

By David Willey BBC Rome correspondent

Police in the northern Italian city of Turin are investigating the deaths of 14 out of 124 people who had heart valve operations at the local teaching hospital.

Five people, including two surgeons, are facing possible manslaughter charges in connection with the deaths.

A judge ordered postmortem examinations on 12 of the 14 people who died after having artificial heart valves fitted.

The two surgeons who carried out the operations - including the head of the Department of Cardiology at the prestigious Le Molinette hospital - are in jail.

They are charged with accepting bribes from the distributors and suppliers of the valves, which were manufactured in Brazil.

EU certified

The valves were imported by an Italian company which has recently gone into liquidation.

The manager of this company was released from jail to house arrest this weekend after spending a month in prison.

Lawyers have pointed out that the success rate for operations to substitute a patient's heart valve is relatively high - around 50% of patients survive for 10 years or more.

The Brazilian heart valves have been certified by medical experts in the European Union, although not in the United States.

About 700 appliances altogether have been imported by the Italian distributors.