Smarter treatment of heart attacks
Each year in the UK over 200,000 people
have a heart attack. Many more live with coronary artery disease
(CAD) – a narrowing of the arteries that can starve the heart of
vital oxygen.
People with advanced CAD can experience chest
pains called unstable angina that mean they are
close to having a heart attack.
When a person is admitted to hospital with
unstable angina caused by narrowing or blockage of a coronary
artery they are said to be suffering an acute coronary
syndrome.
BHF Professor Keith Fox, from
the University of Edinburgh, has pioneered improvements in care for
people with acute coronary syndrome to increase their chances of
survival and prevent further life-threatening events.
In collaboration with colleagues in 30
countries, Professor Fox has studied more than 100,000 people -
including Elizabeth
Scarr - who attended hospital with acute coronary
syndrome.
The international team has collected
information about the patients’ clinical condition, their
treatment, and what happened to them after their hospital
visit.
By analysing the information in this programme
- the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) - Professor
Fox discovered it was patients whose arteries were only partly
blocked during their first heart attack who were more likely to
suffer another heart attack or a stroke after leaving hospital.
Professor Fox has devised a risk
calculator that helps doctors identify people who need
intensive treatment to prevent further heart problems.
The calculator is now recommended in doctors’ guidelines as
the best way to predict someone’s risk of further heart
attacks.
“When a person presents with severe chest
pains we look at their clinical characteristics and calculate their
risk score” explains Professor Fox. “It takes one minute and helps
the doctor decide who needs the most intensive clot-busting therapy
or surgery.”
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