PIONEERING heart treatments are to be tested by Oxford surgeons.

It is hoped the two new procedures – which involve devices inside the heart – can reduce the risk of strokes.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust has been chosen by NHS England to take part in the £15m scheme.

John Radcliffe Hospital honorary consultant cardiologist Dr Matthew Daniels said: “This is a vote of confidence in the care we have offered previously and something we want to build on.

“We hope this commissioning activity is the start of bigger things, once we have demonstrated the usefulness of these procedures.”

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For the first treatment, a left atrial appendage occlusion, OUHT was one of 10 centres chosen in England.

It will be used for patients with irregular heartbeat at high risk of a stroke from blood clots that form in the blood flow between the heart and the brain.

It will involve inserting a device into the heart’s left atrium to stop the clots travelling.

Medics hope this will help patients unsuitable for other treatments, such as drugs that unblock blood clots.

For second treatment – the patent foramen ovale closure – the trust is one of 20 centres to offer the treatment in England.

It involves closing a hole in the heart which is first formed in all humans inside the womb and closes in all but about one in five cases For most this does not cause complications, but it can see particles move from one side of the heart to the other and into arteries to block blood vessels.

This can lead to strokes and for younger patients, where no other cause can be found, it is believed the treatment could reduce that risk.

It involves inserting a special collapsed device into the hole, which after the operation grows over a period of months to completely seal it.

The trials have been developed with the help of national experts, as well as patient groups.

Evidence will be gathered on the effectiveness of each procedure in terms of outcomes for patient and cost-efficiency.

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