Plans to cut heart attack deaths

The new scheme will be piloted in Walsall

Hundreds of heart attack patients in the West Midlands die needlessly every year, according to the ambulance service

The West Midlands Ambulance Service are urging people to dial 999 if they have chest pains to ensure they get the necessary treatment as soon as possible.

It is estimated that half the people who die from heart attacks would survive if there was better monitoring equipment in ambulances.

The ambulance service has launched a pilot scheme in Walsall where a cardiac monitoring system will be installed in ambulances to assess heart pains in patients.

Hospitals will receive the information straight away

The system can detect the severity of the patient's chest pains and transmit the information straight to the hospital to ensure that doctors are ready with the necessary treatment.

Three months ago, school cook June Westley felt pains starting, but it was four days before she did anything about it.

"If I'd contacted the doctor sooner I don't think my heart would have been so injured," she said.

A West Midlands Ambulance spokesman said people shouldn't ignore chest pains.

"The system will ensure that patients with chest pains won't have to go through casualty but can go straight to the coronary care unit.

"The hospital will receive the information straight away and doctors will be ready with the necessary treatment.

"If you have chest pains for longer than 15 minutes dial 999, we'd rather have a false alarm than another person dying unnecessarily."

Every year 1,000 people die from heart attacks in the Midlands.