A NEW treatment which "dramatically" reduces the chance of patients suffering a repeat heart attack has been trialled at a West of Scotland hospital.

Patients at the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank are being treated with a new form of drug-coated stent, which reduces the change of diseased arteries re-narrowing.

Previous forms of the DES stent were not suitable for elderly patients or those already on blood thinning tablets, who were at a high risk of bleeding.

The have a plastic coating and take longer to fully heal inside the artery than bare metal stents.

However a new form has been developed at the Golden Jubilee, which does not have a polymer coating, which means that it heals more quickly, reducing the risk of bleeding in patients.

A trial of almost 2,500 patients currently considered unsuitable for DES treatment found that not only did the new stent have a lower risk of re-narrowing, but it also proved to be much safer with patients at a dramatically reduced risk of suffering another heart attack.

Professor Keith Oldroyd, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital, said: “"At the Golden Jubilee, our vision is to lead quality, research and innovation on behalf of the NHS in Scotland, and the trial is a fantastic step forward in that objective.

"These are brilliant results and are very important for the future of interventional cardiology.

"This means that patients that were previously treated with a bare metal stent due to a high risk of bleeding can now be treated with a drug coated stent with the potential to improve outcomes, reduce hospitalisations and offer a better quality of life for thousands of people every year.”

"In spite of the major advances in interventional cardiology in recent years - including the advent of DES, around 20% of patients in the UK are still receiving bare metal stents."

Public Health Minister Maureen Watt was told about the results of the trial as the hospital hosted its Annual Review meeting.