Heart patients miss out on life-saving scanner

PATIENTS in Scotland are being denied access to revolutionary heart scans that could save thousands of lives a year after almost all of the country's health boards admitted they had no plans to buy the machines.

An NHS report claims that new 64-slice computed tomography (CT) scanners, which produce three-dimensional images of the heart, could help slash the country's appalling heart disease death rate.

The document claims the CT machines provide a crucial early warning for patients at risk of heart attacks by detecting the early stages of blockages in the heart's arteries.

Experts say the machines could help save nearly 2,000 lives every year by diagnosing patients before they suffer fatal heart attacks.

Every year more than 11,400 adults die as a result of coronary heart disease, one of the highest rates in Europe. About 20% of those who die have no idea about their illness until it's too late.

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