Conference told battle against heart disease is far from over (Northern Ireland)

"The number of people who have lost their lives as a result of heart complications has fallen by more than 70% in the last 25 years. However, a conference to mark the achievements of Professor Frank Pantridge has also heard that this has led to more people than ever before living with the physical and mental consequences of coronary heart disease. In an address to the Prof Frank Pantridge Legacy Symposium, Andrew Dougal, chief executive of Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke, paid tribute to the cardiologist who transformed emergency medicine around the world and who died in 2004 - but warned that the battle against heart disease was far from over."

GBP7m bill for Ulster heart ops in England and Dublin

"Around GBP7 million has been spent sending Northern Ireland cardiac patients for surgery outside the region in the past year due to a lack of local capacity, a medical charity said today. Nearly a third of procedures (440 of 1,430) had to be carried out in England or the Republic, according to Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke. While the cardiac specialists at the Royal Victoria Hospital are on track to meet their target of 1,000 heart operations in the financial year (they had completed 990 by the end of March), the charity said more government funding was needed to ensure all surgery is done locally. Each operation in Dublin costs Stormont's Department of Health GBP17,000, with procedures in London priced at GBP14,000, said Andrew Dougal, chief executive of NICHS. He said it would be more cost-effective to spend the money increasing capacity at the Royal" - Belfast Telegraph

Getting right to the heart of simple skills that save lives

"The British Heart Foundation believes every child in Northern Ireland should be taught the basic skills to deal with an emergency such as a heart attack or choking. Health Correspondent Claire Harrison joined a training session and learned how to potentially save a life" - Belfast Telegraph