Structural heart surgery

Here you'll find our current definition of the critical illness, additional condition or child specific condition we cover. We've also listed any previous definitions we may have had. With each new definition we've highlighted what's changed from the previous definition.

Current definition

March 2020

Structural heart surgery - with thoracotomy or surgery to divide the breastbone

The undergoing of, or inclusion on the NHS waiting list for, surgery requiring thoracotomy or median sternotomy (surgery to divide the breastbone) on the advice of a consultant cardiologist to correct any structural abnormality of the heart.

Changes from the previous definition

We've added advanced surgery benefit so that we now pay out on inclusion on NHS surgery wait list.

Previous definitions

Structural heart surgery – with thoracotomy or surgery to divide the breastbone

The undergoing of surgery requiring thoracotomy or median sternotomy (surgery to divide the breastbone) on the advice of a consultant cardiologist to correct any structural abnormality of the heart.

Changes from the previous definition

We've expanded the definition to now cover thoracotomies (surgical incision into the chest wall) as well as surgery to divide the breastbone.  

Open heart surgery – with surgery to divide the breastbone

The undergoing of surgery requiring median sternotomy (surgery to divide the breastbone) on the advice of a consultant cardiologist to correct any structural abnormality of the heart.