Medical equipment used to revive heart attack patients was so poorly maintained that machines were on the brink of running out of battery power, it emerged today.

Some defibrillators were flashing warning lights alerting paramedics they were about to go dead, a report to councillors in Staffordshire has revealed. Bosses reported the problem to the National Patient Safety Agency and ordered a review of procedures.

Meanwhile, the death of a patient who suffered a heart attack while unsupervised in the back of a police van on the way to hospital is also included in West Midland Ambulance Service’s self-assessment report.

via Express & Star.