Less than half of heart attack sufferers call for help within 60 minutes 

Heart failure patient Pauline O'Shea, from Co Clare, called for a public awareness campaign. Picture: Justin Farrelly.

Less than half of heart attack sufferers called emergency help within 60 minutes of symptoms starting even though faster treatment means a higher chance of survival, a new audit has shown.

The Irish Heart Attack Audit National Report 2021 also found a variation in treatment times between hospitals with only 69% of patients receiving timely reperfusion (restoration of blood flow). This has not changed since the 2020 audit and is described as “well below” the target of 90% for this area.