Buckingham granddad hails Milton Keynes Hospital research programme which identified heart issue

A granddad from Buckingham has praised Milton Keynes’ Hospital’s research programme which helped identify a heart issue.

Buckingham’s John Barnett, 69, was invited to take part in a study into heart diseases after he attended Milton Keynes University Hospital’s A&E department when he was suffering from chest pains.

He woke up with pain on the left side of his chest and back. Wife Gill, a retired nurse, phoned 111 and an ambulance was sent as it was suspected John had had a heart attack.

He was taken to Milton Keynes University Hospital where an electrocardiogram determined he had not had a heart attack.

Patients who report chest pains without a heart attack are usually discharged with no further testing. However, John was invited to take part in the TARGET-CTCA study, which uses a computed tomography coronary angiogram (CTCA) heart scan to look for previously unidentified heart disease and prevent heart attacks in those who have experienced chest pains. The effectiveness of the scan is compared to those who received standard care.

It found John had blockages in his arteries which could spread and block the artery if left untreated. It also found his aorta, the largest artery which carries blood from the heart, had doubled in size, likely as a result of having high blood pressure.

He was prescribed statins to reduce blood cholesterol and break down the blockages in his arteries and his blood pressure medication was increased. He will have further scans.

The grandfather-of-two, said: “I had no idea that something else could be wrong once my pain was attributed to muscular, so I’m so relieved these issues have been picked up.

“I’m so pleased that I was invited to take part in the trial and have all these things diagnosed before it’s too late. If it wasn’t for the study, I wouldn’t have known about my heart issues.

“The communication and the care I have received have been amazing. I don’t think I could have had better treatment.”

The number of people who took part in health research supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in Milton Keynes rose by more than two-thirds last year, new figures show.

In total 8,044 people took part in research conducted at Milton Keynes Hospital in the 12 months from 1 April 2022, data from the NIHR Clinical Research Network reveals.

These include 7,908 participants in 72 studies at Milton Keynes University Hospital, up from 4,564 in the previous 12 months. And 136 participants also took part in 14 studies in the community.

The NIHR Clinical Research Network helps researchers make studies happen in the NHS In England, almost one million people, 952,789, took part in NIHR-supported research in 2022/23.

As well as patients being offered the opportunity to participate, healthy people can also take part so results can be compared to those with a medical condition.

Among the studies participants volunteered for in the 12-month period were:

-A drug to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes

-Comparing two different types of biopsy methods in the diagnosis of prostate cancer

-Using ultrasound to predict possible complications before lung surgery

-Testing for spinal muscular atrophy in babies