HEALTH NOTES: Lung injections to tackle life-threatening blood clots can cut the risk of death by HALF

Injecting drugs directly into the lungs to tackle life-threatening blood clots can halve the risk of death, a study has found.

Blood clots in the lungs, known as a pulmonary embolism, lead to about 25,000 deaths in the UK every year.

The condition is usually treated using blood thinners, administered into the bloodstream via a drip in the arm.

However, Israeli researchers have found that feeding low doses of blood thinner directly into the pulmonary arteries – the blood vessels where these clots form – is more effective.

The study, published by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, found the technique reduced the risk of death by 55 per cent. Researchers say this is because the method immediately directs the blood-thinning drugs to the clot, breaking it down significantly quicker.

Private dentist charges soar

The cost of visiting a private dentist has risen by 15 per cent in the past year alone.

An initial consultation now costs an average of £75, compared to £65 in August 2022, according to independent consumer information website My Tribe Insurance.

The firm also found that the price of certain types of fillings have shot up by more than a quarter.

My Tribe founder Chris Steele says the price rises have been driven by an increase in demand, due to few NHS dentists taking on new patients, adding: ‘As people struggle to find an NHS dentist, more are needing to go private, and the cost is increasing quite quickly.’

Asthma patients can now access an inhaler that tracks how severe their breathing problems are. The device, called a Digihaler, contains medicine that relieves the symptoms of the chronic condition, such as coughing, wheezing and feeling breathless, that affects 5.4 million people in the UK.

It also holds sensors that can measure how much air the user can inhale in one breath – a reliable indicator of the severity of asthma.

The Digihaler, created by Israel-based medical firm Teva, can then send these readings to the patient’s doctor, who can spot any deterioration in their breathing abilities.

People in the UK are far more likely to have genetic mutations that lead to skin cancer than those living in sunny climates, a study has revealed.

Researchers found that the British population, on average, has four times as many DNA mutations linked to skin cancer than people in Singapore, which is near the equator.

The scientists, from the Wellcome Sanger Institute in London, say the findings explain why rates of skin cancer in the UK are 17 times higher than in Singapore. This is despite the fact that UV light from the sun is three times stronger in the Asian city-state.