The heart attack deaths that ‘could be avoided’

Researchers from the University of Leeds examined more than 100,000 heart attack victims and looked at whether or not they received nine key aspects of care.

Of the 31,000 eligible for all nine steps, just over half missed out on at least one key aspect of care.

Lead author Dr Chris Gale said: “The tragedy of all this is that these deaths are avoidable. There is a clear relationship between the ability to provide comprehensive and timely care and treatment and improved chance of heart attack survival.

“It is vitally important that healthcare professionals working in the heart disease field are made fully aware of, and trained in, these nine types of treatment so that the chances of saving a heart attack patient’s life are maximised.

“Many of these guideline-recommended steps are straightforward, but for some reason they are not being provided. If more components of care are missed, the chance of dying increases further.”

Experts examined the care of patients who had suffered a certain type of heart attack, an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), who were discharged from hospital in England and Wales between January 2007 and December 2010.

They found that these patients have a 46 per cent increased chance of death within a month of discharge if they miss any one of the nine types of care.

There is also a 74 per cent increased chance of dying within a year if any one component of care is missed, according to the study which has been published in the European Heart Journal: Acute Cardiovascular Care.

The researchers concluded opportunities for care in STEMI are “commonly missed and significantly associated with early and later mortality”.

The nine care pathways include restoring blood flow to the heart and prescription of aspirin at hospital discharge as well as timely use of four types of drug for heart attack.