01.03.11
Stroke and heart attack deaths down
Death rates for patients admitted to hospital for heart attacks or strokes have fallen over the last ten years, new research by the NHS Information Centre suggests.
From 2000/01 to 2009/10, emergency admissions for patients with heart attacks fell from 42,400 to 30,600. The death rate within 30 days of this dropped from one in 11 to one in 20.
For strokes, there was a 4% fall in emergency admissions and the death rate has reduced from one in four to one on five.
The report, ‘Hospital Episode Statistics: Deaths within 30 days of a hospital procedure or of an emergency admission to hospital - Financial year 2009/10’, presents mortality information to help the NHS monitor potentially avoidable deaths following hospital treatment.
NHS Information Centre chief executive Tim Straughan said: “The majority of admissions to hospital for people suffering a heart attack or stroke are emergency cases. This report focuses on such admissions; providing the NHS and the public with a vital 10 year snapshot of the number of patients treated by our hospitals for such serious conditions and whether they survive or not.”
The report findings can be accessed at: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/hesdeaths0910
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