Heart attack plan 'to save lives' (UK)

"Hundreds of lives will be saved every year with the introduction of a 'gold standard' treatment for heart attacks across England, say ministers. A balloon and tube are used to unblock arteries and permit blood flow. A death rate cut from 7% to 5% is predicted, saving about 240 lives a year. The government wants 97% of eligible heart attack patients to have a primary angioplasty within three years. Currently 25% get the keyhole surgery, with the rest given clot-busting drugs. About 25,000 people a year will be eligible for primary angioplasty, with the three-year target costing about GBP12m" - BBC