The surgeon called for help to steady the table while he completed the operation at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth but the woman, who was 70, died three days later.

The cardiac unit at Derriford Hospital, the biggest hospital in the South West, is one of the most modern in Britain. It is equipped with three up-to-date operating tables costing about £50,000 each.

The tops of the tables slide on to the electronically operated base so that the patient does not need to be lifted onto a trolley after surgery.

The operation was taking place last Thursday when the top of the operating table became detached. The woman, who has not been named, was “jolted forward” as it slipped.

Paul Roberts, the hospital’s chief executive, described the incident as alarming. “The surgeon immediately asked for help and other staff came over and steadied the table, and several more staff scrubbed up and grabbed the corners of the table. They held it so the surgeon was able to carry on operating, but the incident clearly rang alarm bells and raised technical concerns about the table. There is no evidence to suggest that the very sad death of this patient at the weekend is connected to this incident.

“As far as I am aware nothing quite as dramatic has happened with any of our operating tables before. They are sophisticated pieces of equipment and this is obviously most alarming.”

All 22 routine heart operations scheduled to take place this week have been cancelled and surgeons are using other tables for emergency operations. Hospitals across Britain have been alerted in case they have tables of the same design.

Mr Roberts said: “Surgeons have lost some confidence in these tables and we think patients will as well. I want to reassure them we are taking this very seriously and we are using quick footwork to source replacements so we can resume operations next week.We have apologised to the family of the patient and we apologise to those patients whose operations have been cancelled.”

Nigel Meadows, the Plymouth Coroner, ordered an independent post-mortem examination by doctors at Southampton General Hospital. He said: “The patient died some time after the operation and there is no evidence at this moment to suggest the incident caused or contributed to the death . . . It may be the two events are simply coincidental.”

The incident happened on the same day as Derriford Hospital was answering allegations at an employment tribunal that a surgeon was given a dessert spoon instead of the proper instrument to carry out a hip replacement operation.

The operating tables in the cardio-thoracic unit were specially designed for heart surgery. The fixed bases are fitted with a range of monitors.

The incident has been reported to the Government’s Medical Devices Agency, which is also conducting its own investigation.

The table’s manufacturers said yesterday that the model in use at Derriford Hospital was no longer being made.

The French company ALM has sold the business to Getinge Surgical Systems, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, since it equipped the hospital six years ago.

Getinge said that two or three hospitals in Britain that had similar units were being notified.

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