New report calls for better cardiovascular disease treatment and testing to prevent heart attacks

The then-39-year-old tried getting rest at home but the chest pains worsened during the night, so much so that his wife called an ambulance to take him to hospital.

"I felt that because I had been to the gym the previous day and had done some weights and thought it was just some muscle pain," Mr Davidson said.

"When the doctors at the hospital told me that I had had a heart attack, that was a surprise to me."

Further tests revealed one artery was 100 per cent blocked and two others were 80 per cent blocked, forcing surgery to insert a stent.

The Greenway resident was then discharged from hospital, but found himself back just a few days later after having a stroke, which has affected his speech and movement in the years since.

It's estimated almost one-in-five heart attack survivors will experience a stroke within three months.

The now-43-year-old said he was shocked at the time he found out he had a heart attack, due to his age.

"It surprised me because heart attacks normally happen to older people," he said. "It wasn't in the family history and none of my family members had died of a heart attack."

With a rising number of people experiencing heart attacks and cardiovascular disease, a new report has outlined recommendations that could lead to as many as 7500 heart attacks being avoided.

The report, compiled by multiple cardiovascular experts, recommended the federal government standardise testing and reporting for cholesterol levels and to enhance the role of cardiac rehabilitation.

It also called for further and increased access for Australians for cholesterol testing, often a key indicator of cardiovascular disease.

It comes as recent figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death nationwide in 2019.

It was also the second leading cause of death in the ACT last year.

The report said that an investment of $197 per patient during the next five years could lead to 7591 heart attacks being avoided and 3221 lives saved.

One of the report's authors, Heart Support Australia's Shoukat Khan, said cardiovascular disease remained a large risk for many Australians.

"Cardiovascular deaths have come down a lot in the last two decades, but it has reached a point where it is remaining as a top contributor for cause of deaths," he said. "We have identified 1.15m Australians that are considered as high risk. There is a need for urgent action."

According to the report, urgent action was needed for cholesterol testing to prevent further cases of cardiovascular disease.

One-in-three Australians who were at high risk were not referred to cardiac rehab services, while 40 per cent of Australians are at risk of elevated cholesterol levels.

Mr Shoukat said greater access to testing was essential. "A lot of higher-risk patients that are being treated still need to come down on their cholesterol levels," he said.