IMPROVED CARE FOR HEART PATIENTS CELEBRATED

13:00 05/01/2009

A special evening dedicated to learning about improved care for heart patients has been deemed a success.

Peter Glennon, consultant cardiologist at Unversity Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, gave a presentation to colleagues, GPs, leading members of the health scruting board and members of other healthcare organisations.

Phil Townshend, chairman of the Trust said: “We have a number of strong services which are providing world class healthcare for our patients not only from Coventry and Warwickshire, but increasingly further afield and I feel it is important that we recognise this.”

In his presentation Peter Glennon showed the 28 guests at the Clinical Sciences Building how technological advances had improved the lives of many heart patients.

This included modern techniques to treat heart attacks by emergency heart catheterisation via a small hole in the wrist or even implanting a tiny defibrillator under the skin which detects and corrects an abnormal heartbeat and corrects it.

Dr Glennon said: “Year on year we have seen a steady decline in mortality in people suffering from heart attacks.

“Passing a catheter tube into the artery at the wrist and round to the heart allows us to unblock coronary arteries very effectively using a small balloon.

“This technique is now the best emergency treatment for heart attack, and we have been designated the heart attack centre for Coventry and Warwickshire.

“We successfully open the artery in more than 95% of cases, relieving patients’ pain very quickly and giving them the best chance for a speedy recovery.

“The time spent in hospital after heart attack is now only three days in most cases.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PRESS RELEASE PLEASE CONTACT KERRY BEADLING,
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, ON 02476 967597

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