Help the Heart Attack Centre

In 2006, the UK’s largest 24 hour Heart Attack Centre was opened at the London Chest Hospital - and Barts and The London Charity offers ongoing support to the unit. Since opening, there has been a 50% drop in the number of deaths of heart attack patients at the hospitals.

Working with the London Ambulance network, the team aims to treat patients within 90 minutes of their heart attack. In reality, they are usually treated within 40 minutes which means a much higher chance of survival and also a better quality of life.

The Heart Attack Centre specialises in performing primary angioplasties – this means inserting a small piece of mesh tubing (a stent) into the blocked artery in the heart via a vessel in the wrist or groin. The patient is awake throughout the whole procedure and once in place, the stent holds open the walls of the vein or artery, allowing blood flow to be restored to the heart.

Barts and The London performs more revascularisations - that is, surgical procedures for the provision of a new, additional, or augmented blood supply to a body part or organ - than any other centre in Western Europe. Annually, over 4000 are carried out across the Trust and the Heart Attack Centre treats over 800 patients.

In February 2009, the Centre was extended to provide advanced cardiology procedures at the ‘early warning’ stage rather than waiting for the patient to suffer a full blown heart attack. The first of its kind in the world, this service caters specifically for patients with a partially blocked artery who are at high risk of having a heart attack. Working with local A&E units, patients are immediately transferred to the Heart Attack Centre to be treated within 24 hours.

This incredible service is a vital life-line for people across London and particularly in the East End, where there are 50% more deaths from coronary heart disease than the national average.

  • To find out more about how you can help support the Heart Attack Centre, contact the fundraising team on 020 7618 1720

 

Staff aim to treat patients within 90 minutes of a heart attack