Grandma: I'm not too old for surgery

LONDON, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- British health officials are reviewing the case of a 61-year-old grandmother who was denied heart surgery because of her age, based on an out-of-date guideline.

National Health Service officials turned down Dorothy Simpson for the procedure, saying it should only be performed on people age 60 and under, The Daily Mail reported -- but Simpson's doctor says the guideline that was used to make the decision has been replaced by a new guideline that sets no age limit. The doctor would know, since he wrote the now obsolete guideline three years ago.

Dr. Stephen Murray has urged NHS officials to change their minds, not only in Simpson's case but also in the case of two other patients, the newspaper said.

Simpson suffers from irregular heartbeat. Surgery offers her a 75 percent chance of curing her condition, which would reduce her dependence on prescription drugs and other healthcare.

She said NHS officials have refused to authorize the operation, even though patients older than she have had the procedure.