'Instant surgery' will save hundreds

"Hundreds of lives a year could be saved by 'instant surgery' for heart attack patients. Consultants plan to introduce 24-hour emergency treatment within a matter of months after getting UK Government backing. Patients would be rushed to Leicester General Hospital's specialist heart unit within an hour of a heart attack. There, they would have angioplasty, where a small balloon is inserted into the blocked artery and then inflated, restoring blood flow. Consultants believe as many as 200 people a year could be saved using this method, which prevents people suffering future heart attacks or strokes. Leicester will be one of the few places in Britain to offer the treatment 24 hours a day. At the moment, it is offered within office hours only, benefiting 50 people a year" - Leicester Mercury