GWENT heart charity fundraisers' generosity is helping save patients' lives every day at the Royal Gwent Hospital's accident and emergency department.

Two new defibrillators bought by the Royal Gwent and St Woolos Cardiology Fund are helping keep alive heart attack victims and those with slow heart rates who need to be stabilised before pacemakers are fitted or other procedures .

The machines cost £5,000 each but their worth cannot be judged in purely financial terms, said Dr Sally Jones, consultant in accident and emergency medicine.

"We've had them for about six weeks and they have saved lives from the very first day," she said.

"This was a fabulous gesture by the cardiology fund, and the trust has also bought a machine for us, so now we've got three state-of-the-art defibrillators."

The Royal Gwent's A&E department sees an average of four cardiac arrest patients a week, as well as others whose conditions might warrant the use of a defibrillator.

The new machines are much smaller and easier to handle than previous devices, and do not require the use of hand-held pads to admnister an electric charge.

The machines can also be used to increase and steady the pace of the heart and to monitor the heart. Their smaller size also means they are easier to carry.

The donation from the cardiology fund is the latest of many that have helped save and improve the lives of countless Gwent heart patients over more than 20 years.

The fund recently donated £70,000 to buy equipment for the new Bill Hobbs Ward - named in memory of a founder member - in the £5m cardiology unit that opened last month.

Since cardiologist Dr John Davies and a group of patients and relatives set up the fund in 1983, Gwent people have helped raise close to £1m, which has been used to provide heart test facilities and equipment, and training.