A retired firefighter has become one the first patients to have a cutting edge MRI scan on his heart in Sunderland - and hopes it will help doctors get to the bottom of why he has had two recent fainting episodes.
Bob Dove, 74, is under the care of the specialist heart team at Sunderland Royal hospital. Medics put him through a cardiac MRI scan this week after launching the new service. They want to find out if his fainting was to do with issues around his blood pressure medication - which has since been changed - or because he has an irregular heartbeat.
If it turns out to be the latter issue, Bob will require surgery to fit a pacemaker. Before the new service went live, Bob would have had to travel to Ashington or Middlesbrough for the NHS service.
