'Heart risk' at football stadiums (Europe)

"Too many football grounds in Europe do not have the right equipment and plans to save the lives of fans who have heart attacks, a study has found. The poll of 187 stadiums found over a quarter did not have defibrillators and many did not have emergency plans. The Sweden-led study, carried out by a group of club doctors, stressed more had to be done as it was not always easy to get ill fans to hospital. Researchers said there should be mandatory rules covering the issue. At the moment, it is simply considered good practice to have defibrillators at sports grounds. But in recent years many governments - including the authorities in the UK - have been doing more to increase the availability of the life-saving equipment in public spaces. Defibrillators work by delivering a controlled electric shock through the chest wall to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat" - BBC

"Stent 4 Life" campaign launched

"A campaign which will reduce mortality in patients with acute coronary syndromes has been launched today by a coalition which includes the ESC Working Group on Acute Cardiac Care and the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI). Stent 4 Life is a project designed to encourage the wider use of reperfusion therapy with percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI, with balloon angioplasty and stent) in Europe. According to a new report introducing the campaign, it is the 'unpredictable bursts' in coronary artery disease which lead to sudden ischaemic death, heart attack and unstable angina, and with them a sharp increase in mortality rate to more than 10%" - ESC

Small, rich countries provide top cardiac care in Europe

"Three small countries - Luxembourg, Norway, and Switzerland - have emerged as the top nations for cardiac care in Europe, according to a new report, the Euro Cardiovascular Healthcare Index 2008, presented by Dr Arne Björnberg (Health Consumer Powerhouse, Stockholm, Sweden) during a clinical-trial update session at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2008 last week. Björnberg said that these three do best by virtue of the fact that they have the highest healthcare spending per capita in Europe, illustrating the fact that financial muscle seems to make it easier to attain really good cardiac care"