Cardiac change aimed at survival

The changes were introduced in Swansea on Monday

Changes to the way heart attack patients are treated in Swansea have been made to improve survival rates.

All emergencies are now being taken straight to the Regional Cardiac Centre at Morriston Hospital to speed-up access to treatment.

Doctors say the 24 hours following a heart attack are crucial to a patient's chances of recovery.

Paramedics will carry out ECG tests on heart attack victims and fax results through ahead of their arrival.

They have also been trained to administer clot-busting drugs, and shock the heart to restore a normal rhythm which doctors say means life-saving care begins even before patients reach hospital.

The changes, which started on Monday, are a partnership between the Welsh Ambulance and Swansea NHS Trusts.

Cardiologist Mark Ramsey said: "The changes are in line with recommendations by the European Society of Cardiology, which recommends all heart attack patients undergo coronary angiograms within 24 hours.

"This is an X-ray picture of the blood vessels supplying the heart."

Dr Ramsey said once the initial emergency treatment was over, the sooner patients had their coronary angiogram the better.

"By ambulances taking all 999 heart attack patients straight to Morriston they will get their angiograms more quickly and their chances of survival and recovery will be higher."

He said patients with chest pains who turned up at Swansea's other main hospital, Singleton, would continue to receive emergency treatment their before being moved to Morriston.

"This change will offer a much improved service for people with heart attacks and ultimately save more lives," he added.