Heart patients are benefiting from state-of-the-art technology following the opening of a new £1 million cardiac catheter laboratory at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

The lab has been running since May but it will be officially opened on Friday by the National Director for Heart Disease, Dr Roger Boyle.

He will tour the cardio-respiratory department and the cardiac catheter laboratory and then unveil two plaques.

He will also hear how a new rapid-access chest-pain clinic is helping to fast-track patients through the system.

Bradford is one of the heart- attack capitals of Britain. Currently more than 2,000 people are admitted each year to the coronary care department at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Consultant cardiologist Dr Steven Lindsay said the new facilities have more than doubled the number of angio-grams they are able to perform on people with heart disease.

"Before we were limited to two sessions a week which allowed us to see 400 people a year," said Dr Lindsay. "Since the lab opened we have already seen 500 patients, and hope to see at least 1,000 per year."

Using the equipment patients with suspected or known coronary heart disease will be investigated with coronary angiogram x-ray procedures.

Dye is injected into the heart's arteries which shows up on a scan. An arm allows the scanner to swing round the patient, recording images from different angles.

This allows Dr Lindsay and his colleagues to see if there is any narrowing or blockages in the arteries.

The lab is complemented by the rapid-access chest-pain clinic which was set up in April with £351,000 of Government cash. It allows patients who are suffering chest pains to be referred within two weeks. There are ten sessions a week and as well as making a diagnosis, clinic staff can also offer lifestyle tips.

"We are confident it is working," said Dr Lindsay. "We are stopping heart attacks in the community."