New report reveals half of New Zealand heart attack patients not treated in time

Half of all New Zealanders who suffer heart attacks are not being seen within standard timeframes – and these delays can mean the difference between life and death.

The report, commissioned by The Heart of Aotearoa – Kia Manawanui Trust and prepared by the University of Otago, reveals that just 50.2 per cent of the population had first medical contact (FMC) within 60 minutes of presenting with heart attack symptoms.

In addition, just over half of patients suffering from an urgent life-threatening heart attack (STEMI) received treatment within the recommended timeframe.

Trust Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says these delays aren’t just about timings – it’s a matter of life and death.

“When half of all heart attack patients aren’t being treated in time, we’re not talking about a stretched system – we’re talking about a failing one.

“This is not acceptable.”

Delays occur for several reasons, from lack of staff to lack of dedicated cardiac beds in our public hospitals, Ms Harding says.

Currently, if you have a heart attack and there’s no cardiac bed available at the tertiary hospital you’re being referred to, your treatment can be delayed, she says.

“If your time to have a cardiac x-ray (angiogram) delays treatment, then your chance of surviving drops. It’s that simple.”

The Government needs to expand dedicated cardiac bed capacity in tertiary hospitals, especially in the Midland and Central regions, she says.

“Hospitals in these regions are forced to delay accepting patients from outside their own catchments because they don’t have the space to care for them.

“We’re calling for a clear directive to all tertiary hospitals to assess their current bed capacity and identify where dedicated cardiac beds can be added,” Ms Harding says.

“Once that work is done, the government needs to follow through by funding the beds, the equipment, and the staff to support them.”

This is fixable, she says.

“But if we don't solve the infrastructure bottlenecks in our tertiary hospitals, the door-to-cath delays will continue and so will the preventable deaths.”

Trust Medical Director Dr Sarah Fairley, a Wellington-based cardiologist, says clinicians are forced to work within a system that’s constantly falling short.

“When someone has a heart attack, every minute matters. 

“Delays in getting treatment are killing people – and it’s not due to lack of knowledge, it's lack of investment over decades.”

The current situation puts cardiologists in an impossible position, Dr Fairley says.

“We often know exactly what a patient needs, but we just don’t have anywhere to send them.

“When a hospital can’t accept a transfer due to bed shortages, that delay pushes out door-to-cath times and every extra minute without treatment increases the risk of death or permanent damage.”