Life-saving surgery for rapid access clinic's first patient who was sent home next day

A PATIENT recalls how the surgeon was “amazed” he didn’t have a heart attack after a new rapid access clinic found he had a severely blocked artery.

- BY LAYCIE BECK

David Edwards, from Chapel St Leonards, was the first patient to be seen at the Rapid Access Angina Clinic at Skegness Community Diagnostic Centre.

This was one of the new ‘rapid access’ clinics taking place at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Lincoln County Hospital, Grantham Community Diagnostic Centre and Skegness Community Diagnostic Centre to help diagnose people with heart conditions more quickly.

Mr Edwards had initially visited his GP with what he suspected might be indigestion, but he was referred to the hospital Cardiology team to be checked for angina.

The 63-year-old attended his appointment where he was examined and had an ECG test, before returning the same afternoon for a CT scan of his coronary arteries. Within a couple of hours he recalls being phoned and asked to immediately attend Lincoln County Hospital's Heart Centre.