Nearly 40pc of heart attack patients don't get life-saving care quickly enough, national audit reveals

"The audit, released today, showed that, in 2024, just 45pc of patients summoned aid within an hour of feeling unwell, down from 49pc in 2023. Delays in treatment have also emerged. Just 77pc of eligible patients received primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to urgently unblock arteries. That figure was 86pc in 2017. It also found that only 61pc patients received primary PCI within the recommended two hours after a heart attack was diagnosed. Timely PCI reduces risk of death, but not all hospitals have the facility to provide it."

"More than one in two of those who arrived directly by ambulance to a PCI centre achieved the 30-minute door-to-balloon target. Smoking continues to be a major risk factor, contributing to heart attacks at younger ages. Currently, 36pc of patients who experience a heart attack are active smokers. Nine in 10 patients had at least one cardiovascular risk factor, the most prevalent of which were high blood pressure and high cholesterol. While mortality remains within expected ranges, the report shows how many heart attack patients are not getting timely treatment to have the best chance of survival."

In 2024 only 45pc of patients summoned aid within an hour of feeling unwell, down from 49pc in 2023. Just 77pc of eligible patients received primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), compared with 86pc in 2017. Only 61pc received primary PCI within the recommended two hours after diagnosis. Patients presenting first to hospitals without PCI capability rarely met transfer targets; only 3pc achieved the 30-minute door-in-door-out target. More than half of patients arriving directly by ambulance to PCI centres met the 30-minute door-to-balloon target. Smoking affects 36pc of heart attack patients, and nine in 10 had at least one cardiovascular risk factor, most commonly high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Mortality remains within expected ranges despite treatment delays and a 13pc increase in heart attack cases since 2017.

Read at Irish Independent