A great grandmother from Lancashire is the first person in the world to be part of a cutting-edge research study looking at a new stent to help patients live well with heart disease.
Sandra Hargreaves has spoken of her gratitude for the opportunity to be part of this research at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT).
The 67-year-old was diagnosed with heart failure in summer 2023. Heart failure is a long term-condition which means the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly.
Although the diagnosis came as a shock, Sandra was able to manage her symptoms under the care of her GP. However, her health deteriorated in March 2024 when she attended A&E at Royal Blackburn Hospital after feeling unwell for a week.
She said: “They took a blood test and said ‘you’re having a heart attack’. I was white as a ghost and I was kept in.”
Tests revealed Sandra needed to have a type of coronary angioplasty called a Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI).
This is a procedure which uses a balloon to widen blocked or narrowed coronary arteries, the main blood vessels supplying oxygen to the heart. The procedure also involves inserting a small, mesh-like device called a stent, which holds the artery open and improves blood flow to the heart, helping to reduce symptoms such as chest pain.
At the time of Sandra’s admission to hospital, ELHT was 1 of a number of sites in the UK and France recruiting participants to a research study in this area of healthcare. Specifically, the study is investigating a stent in several new sizes.
The stent, and the drug which coats it to help prevent the artery re-narrowing, received regulatory approval in 2020 and is available in almost 40 sizes suited to many different artery narrowings.
However, there are still some narrowings for which the stent is not suitable because the correct size has previously not been available. Sandra met the criteria agreed to take part in the ULTRA LONG study which is looking at the effectiveness and safety of the 14 new sizes which are now available.
Sandra, who lives in Oswaldtwistle, said: “I had an angioplasty in 2005 and it was quite traumatic for me and initially I didn’t want that again. I went into a state of shock when they said I needed one. But then I spoke to the doctors and Jane the research nurse and they were fantastic; they calmed me down.
“When I spoke with Jane, she told me about the option to be on the study. I read the information and was happy to say yes. It was a longer stent and I liked the idea of that. Until that time, I had never been on a research study. I had questions, but in this instance I didn’t mind due to the nature of the trial and the staff were all really nice.”
Sandra, who has 2 children, 2 grandchildren, and 1 great grandson, is no stranger to surgery.
She used to work for a textile company testing fabrics but eventually had to take early retirement, aged 53, after needing a leg amputated below the knee in 1999 when doctors discovered a tumour. She says that whole experience has “made me mentally stronger” and remains positive in the face of her health challenges.
After the stent operation, Sandra was in hospital for a few more days and then began her 2-year involvement in the study. Her health is being assessed during visits to the hospital’s cardiology department and she is doing well.
Describing how it felt to be the first participant in the world on the study, Sandra said: “It was quite good, really, to be the first person. I think the doctor was quite thrilled. I would encourage others to look at research. It’s your own choice and for other people, like me, it might depend on what the research was.”
Jane Liversage, the Research Nurse at ELHT who cared for Sandra, reflected on the recruitment process, saying: “As a Research Nurse it is always a privilege to be a part of recruiting a patient to research and supporting the patient on their research journey. Being a part of developing and implementing future healthcare is a privilege.”
Dr Ravi Singh, Consultant Cardiologist and a co-investigator on the study at ELHT, recruited Sandra. He said: “Taking part in the ULTRA long study allowed our centre to help deliver the latest development in interventional cardiology and help shape the future of cardiology.”