Patients denied stroke op

UP TO 1,000 patients a year at risk of serious strokes are being denied vital surgery due to NHS cost-cutting.

The life-saving procedure for those suffering with heart arrhythmia, which costs £7,500 a time, has been suspended until April at the earliest while NHS England officials carry out an ‘evaluation’ exercise to determine whether it is cost effective. Known as left atrial appendage occlusion, or LAAO, the operation to insert a tiny device into the heart prevents the formation of stroke-causing blood clots.

Trudie Lobban, of the charity Arrhythmia Alliance, said: ‘Many of these patients are living with a potential ticking time-bomb.’