DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service. 20 October 2008
Primary
angioplasty is set to become the nation's first line of
treatment for heart attacks, saving hundreds of lives each year,
according to the National Infarct Angioplasty Project (NIAP) final
report launched today by the Department of Health.
The NIAP study has concluded that is both feasible and
cost-effective to offer angioplasty as an emergency treatment for
97% of the population of England.
Currently, thrombolysis, the injection of life saving clot
busting drugs, is the most common treatment for heart attack
patients. Primary angioplasty, is widely believed to provide
superior outcomes, provided that it can be delivered quickly.
Angioplasty is the procedure of inserting, then inflating, a small
balloon in the blocked coronary artery, leaving a rigid support to
restore blood flow.
Clinical evidence shows that using angioplasty as the main
treatment for heart attack patients will:
* Save around 240 more lives per year
* Reduce complications
from treatment of heart attack
* Reduce reoccurrence of heart
attack
* Prevent around 260 strokes per year
* Decrease
the length of stay in hospital for primary angioplasty patients
The NIAP report concludes that 97% of people in England can
receive the treatment within acceptable treatment times (120
minutes from call for professional help to treatment). Those who
cannot get treatment on time, or those who are unable to have
angioplasty for health reasons, will still be treated with early thrombolysis.
Health Secretary, Alan Johnson said,
"The national roll out of the primary angioplasty strategy
recommended in the NIAP report will save hundreds of lives each
year and improve outcomes for many more heart attack patients.
"The Department of Health's investment in this study
reinforces its ongoing commitments to tackling cardiovascular
heart disease and using clinical evidence to identify the most
effective health services. Compared to 1996, nearly 33,000 lives
were saved last year in heart disease, stroke and related diseases
and inequalities in the death rate from these diseases have been
narrowing for the past eight years.
"Primary angioplasty is at the forefront of clinical
innovation and it is a testament to staff and management in the
NHS that it can be offered quickly and expertly in specialist
centres across the country."
National Clinical Director for Heart Disease and Stroke, Roger
Boyle said:
"As well as providing further evidence of the efficacy of
angioplasty, this report shows that a primary angioplasty can be
offered to heart attack patients in almost all parts of the
country. This is a very positive conclusion in terms of improving
outcomes for heart attack patients and ultimately saving lives."
NHS commissioners, cardiac network and providers are expected to
take forward the report's good practice guidance according to
local priorities and in line with Professor Lord Darzi Next Stage Review.
The Department of Health will monitor the extent of rollout and
patient outcomes and help clinicians to benchmark progress with
clinical performance indicators.
[ENDS]
Notes to editors:
1. For media enquiries only call the Department of Health Media
Centre on tel: 020 7210 5221
2. The report is available online at: http://www.dh.gov.uk
3. NIAP is an observational study set up by the Department of
Health in collaboration with the British Cardiovascular Society
(BCS) and British Cardiovascular Intervention Society (BCIS).
4. The National Service Framework for CHD (March 2000) set out a
ten year framework for action to prevent disease, tackle
inequalities, save more lives, and improve the quality of life for
people with heart disease. An estimated 33,000 lives were saved in
2007 compared to 1996.
5. Inequalities in the death rate from heart disease, stroke and
related diseases among the under 75s have been narrowing for the
past eight years. The gap between the England average and the
fifth of areas with the worst health deprivation scores has
reduced by 32% since 1995-7.
6. Thrombolysis is a treatment for unblocking arteries with clot
busting drugs.
7. Primary angioplasty, also known as primary percutaneous
coronary intervention or PPCI, involves inserting, then inflating,
a small balloon in the blocked coronary artery, leaving a rigid
support, or 'stent', which restores blood flow. This
procedure is carried out in a cardiac catheter laboratory.
8. There are different models of delivering primary angioplasty,
for example, some patients are assessed first in the nearest
hospital's A&E then transferred to the catheter lab in a
primary angioplasty centre. Some are assessed by ambulance crew
and taken to a primary angioplasty centre where they arrive in
A&E before transferring to the catheter lab. The model which
achieves the fastest times is assessment by ambulance crew and
transfer directly to a catheter lab in a primary angioplasty
centre, bypassing local hospitals and A&E.
9. 110,000 people every year in England have a heart attack.
10. The NIAP report's conclusions draw from findings
involving over two thousand patients collected over three years
from seven pilots (ten sites) in different service models and
geographical locations in England:
Pilots Hospital base
1. Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Royal Devon & Exeter
Trust Hospital (Wonford)
2. South Tees Hospital NHS Trust James Cook University
Hospital (Middlesbrough)
3. West Yorkshire (Leeds Teaching Leeds General Infirmary
Hospitals NHS Trust)
4. Greater Manchester (Central Manchester Royal Infirmary
Manchester & Manchester Children's Wythenshawe Hospital
Hospital University NHS Trust) and
University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust
5. North East London (Barts & The London Network Heart Attack Centre
NHS Trust) at the London Chest
Hospital
6. South East London King's College Hospital NHS
Foundation Trust
7. North West London (Imperial College) St Mary's
Healthcare NHS Trustand Royal Brompton & HospitalHammersmith
Harefield NHS Trust Hospital Harefield Hospital