Heart scans for patients with chest pains could save thousands of lives in the U.K., research suggests. The life-saving scans helped to spot those with heart disease so that they could be given treatments to prevent heart attacks. Researchers say current guidelines should be updated to incorporate the scans into routine care. The SCOT-HEART study tracked more than 4,000 patients who were referred to a hospital clinic with symptoms of angina (a condition that restricts blood supply to the heart). Half of the patients were given a scan called a computed tomography angiogram, or CTA, in addition to standard diagnostic tests. After receiving the scan, the number of patients suffering a heart attack within five years dropped by 40%, says the study. Including the scans in routine care would not lead to a surge in costly tests or additional heart surgery, the researchers say. The findings have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
