Defibrillators at airports to slash heart attack deaths

Published on Monday 29 June 2009 19:28

LIFE-SAVING defibrillator machines could be installed at airports and railway stations as part of plans announced yesterday to cut deaths from heart attacks.

The idea is outlined by the Scottish Government in a new strategy for the NHS which includes methods of improving cardiac and stroke treatment.

Ministers believe the health service is on track to reduce premature death from heart disease by 60 per cent and stroke by 50 per cent next year, compared with 1995 levels.

The strategy, launched by health secretary Nicola Sturgeon, includes plans to promote awareness of stroke symptoms.

She said: "The big reductions we have seen in recent years in heart disease and stroke deaths show that, to a large extent, these are preventable diseases. But our progress is in danger of levelling out if we don't raise our game."

The new strategy aims to get more people into stroke units to improve survival rates, tackle inherited heart conditions and improve cardiac rehabilitation services. The plan seeks to place greater focus on heart failure, thought to affect 100,000 people in Scotland.

David Clark, chief executive of the charity Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland, said: "We have seen death rates from heart disease and stroke drop by nearly half in the last ten years.

"This new strategy provides an excellent opportunity to take this to the next stage by improving the quality of life for people who survive heart disease and strokes."