RESIDENTS in Richmond and Twickenham are to benefit from pioneering treatment for heart attack victims.

The news comes in the wake of yesterday's government report which said that no one under the age of 65 should die from a heart attack in ten years time.

West Middlesex Hospital has joined a new pilot service for heart attack patients in West London.

The 24 hour primary angioplasty service is the first of its kind in the UK and aims to reduce mortality rates for heart attack patients by speeding up access to life saving treatment.

Health Secretary John Reid announced the angioplasty project yesterday - a procedure to unblock arteries - saying patients would be treated within two hours of a heart attack.

The government report, Winning the War on Heart Disease, revealed projections that with the current increase in the number of patients surviving heart attacks, the figure for those under 65 dying from an attack should be zero by 2013. Now many local heart attack victims taken to West Mid will be fast-tracked into the pilot scheme.

Patients who normally require a specialist procedure, such as a coronary angioplasty are usually put on a waiting list.

However, under the pilot scheme, patients arriving at West Mid with certain heart conditions will be immediately transferred to the specialist unit at Hammersmith Hospital for an angioplasty procedure.

Treatments are performed immediately on admission, rather than days or weeks later, resulting in rapid improvement in symptoms and fewer complications. Following treatment, patients will return to hospital for their postoperative care.

If the pilot is successful, it is envisaged that all heart attack patients arriving into the hospital's A&E department will be transferred to the specialist unit for treatment.

Dr Beatt, consultant cardiologist at Hammersmith Hospital and clinical lead of the pilot scheme, said: "I'm delighted that we've been able to extend the primary angioplasty service to include West Mid patients.

"The service at Hammersmith Hospital has been running for four months and evidence already points to a lowered mortality rate, reduced stays in hospital and quicker recovery rates for heart attack patients."

Cas Shotter, specialist cardiology nurse at West Mid, added: "This joint working with Hammersmith Hospital is fantastic news for patients and our staff. Research shows that prompt emergency care for heart attack patients dramatically reduces heart damage and therefore increases the likelihood of a return to a full and active life.

"Those patients taking part in the pilot are experiencing much smoother 'patient journeys' as they are being transferred immediately, rather than being put on a waiting list, so have access to life saving treatment at a much earlier stage."