Heart patients 'twice as likely' to get life-saving stents in 24/7 hospitals

Ten-year study shows wide variation in how English hospitals give patients emergency treatment to open blocked coronary arteries

Patients suffering a heart attack are twice as likely to receive life-saving stents to open blocked coronary arteries in hospitals that provide a seven-day service, research shows.

The study of 84 English hospital trusts also found patients were 30% more likely to receive stents in hospitals that have more than five cardiologists trained in the procedure. Those patients with a previous heart attack, angina, heart failure or diabetes were less likely to be given stents, as were older patients.