New hope for heart attack treatment

Researchers from the University of Glasgow say they have found a new way to gauge the severity of a heart attack and whether it might cause lasting harm.

A thin wire is used to determine the presence of bruising or bleeding in the heart muscle.

The team say that patients with this sign, on scans, often develop serious problems like heart failure.

Lead researcher Professor Colin Berry told BBC Scotland that heart muscle bleeding occurs in two phases: initially at the time of the heart attack, and affects about one quarter of patients; and then about three days later when it affects about 40% of people.

The hope is that this new knowledge will lead to more effective treatment for people who have heart attacks.