News
Tribute to Professor Ken Taylor
The British Heart Foundation has paid tribute to Professor Kenneth Macdonald “Ken” Taylor, former BHF Chair of Cardiac Surgery and Trustee/Council member, who died earlier this month aged 78.
Professor Taylor held the title of BHF Professor of Cardiac Surgery from 1983 until 2007, and was a BHF Trustee/Council member between 1999 and 2010.
In 1986, Professor Taylor established the UK Valve Registry with the assistance of the Department of Health. The registry recorded the safety of mechanical and biological heart valve replacements over two decades in hundreds of patients, providing vital data to improve the long-term health of people receiving replacement heart valves.
Helping patients and surgeons
When one or more heart valves, which control the direction of blood flow in the body, fail to work properly and place extra strain on the heart, people can choose between a mechanical heart valve, usually made from carbon or titanium, and a biological valve, made from animal tissue taken from pigs and cows.
Professor Taylor’s valve registry, alongside the Edinburgh Heart Valve study, collected information on the number of patients having valve surgery, the type of valve used in each case, and how successful each procedure had been.
Together, these valuable data sources provided vital information to help patients and surgeons make informed treatment decisions on whether to choose an artificial or biological valve.
Bypass surgery
Professor Taylor was also known for his pioneering work to understand and minimise the effect of ‘cardiopulmonary bypass’ – a technique where a machine temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs during heart surgery, and which can be associated with complications affecting other organs in the body.
In the 1970s, we supported Professor Taylor’s research investigating different types of cardiopulmonary bypass perfusion (the circulation of blood and oxygen around the body).
After taking up his BHF Chair at Imperial College London in 1983, Professor Taylor continued his research into cardiopulmonary bypass, where he and his colleagues identified how cardiopulmonary bypass could lead to inflammation in cardiac tissue.
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, our Chief Executive, said: “Professor Taylor devoted his career to improving care and outcomes for patients undergoing heart surgery, and his impact will continue to be felt by patients and families for years to come. We are proud to have supported his pioneering work over so many years.
“Alongside his remarkable scientific contributions, Professor Taylor gave so much to the British Heart Foundation as a Trustee and Council member and we are deeply grateful for his service. We send our deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.”