Heart attack NEWS: Simple device could help rule out heart attack risk
A new cardiac scanning device that could save the NHS £200 million a year is being trialled at four of the UK’s largest emergency departments in Bristol, Nottingham, Leicester and Sheffield. The device, called Vitalscan, could revolutionise the way patients with chest pain are managed in emergency departments, inventors have claimed. It works by conducting a non-invasive three to five-minute scan at a patient’s bedside to rule out significant cardiac conditions, such as heart attacks. Data from the York Health Economics Consortium shows that 1.3 million Accident and Emergency admissions in 2014/15 were due to chest pain.
GETTY Heart attack: The scanning device could save the NHS millions
Of these, 63 per cent had no cardiac-related condition but, the majority would still have gone through the same cardiac triage process of someone having a heart attack. Creators of Vitalscan said the kit has the potential to identify a significant proportion of these patients - which would radically change the management of chest pain patients entering emergency departments. Figures suggest the device could save the NHS £200m a year - the equivalent of £3.85 million a week and £382 a minute, easing pressure on bed space in A&E departments and reducing patient anxiety by getting patients to the correct treatment more quickly. Steve Parker, CEO Creavo Medical Technologies said: “Cardiac-related chest pain is one of the biggest issues facing emergency departments in the western world due to the economic burden it places on healthcare services and the disruption it causes to inpatient care.
Early warning signs of a heart attack Mon, August 29, 2016 Although chest pain is often severe, sometimes people only suffer minor pain, similar to indigestion. Here are some of the early warning signs and symptoms of a heart attack. Play slideshow 1 of 9
GETTY Heart attack: The trial will be extended to the US
The triage process for someone entering an emergency department with chest pain can take anywhere from six to 24 hours which places a huge amount of strain on resources. Steve Parker
“The triage process for someone entering an emergency department with chest pain can take anywhere from six to 24 hours which places a huge amount of strain on resources. “Early results from smaller sets of clinical trials indicate that Vitalscan can quickly identify and rule out significant ischemic heart disease so it prevents patients who aren’t suffering from a cardiac-related condition from having to go through the lengthy, costly chest pain triage process, easing the burden on emergency departments at a time when they are facing unprecedented pressures.” The initial research was undertaken by Professor Ben Varcoe at the University of Leeds.
GETTY Heart attack: The device was developed by Ben Varcoe