HIGH-FLYING lifesavers have taken on a new weapon to improve the care of heart-attack patients.
Paramedics with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance are now trained to use drugs that can dissolve a clot in a blocked artery if applied quickly enough, and improve the outcome for patients.
The treatment is most effective when given soon after the onset of chest pain and treating patients before arrival at hospital can save valuable time, and minimise the extent of damage to the heart.
Trainer Tony Wilkes said: "This procedure can be a lifesaving intervention, which will be of particular value to people suffering a heart attack in locations that are a long distance from hospital, or difficult for land ambulances to access, such as golf courses.
"The advantage of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance is the speed in which we can reach locations, even isolated areas such as the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and Peak District."
The air ambulance is equipped with a 12-lead Electro-Cardiograph - ECG - which provides paramedics with the information to make a diagnosis and administer the drugs.
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