Two potential victims of 'adult cot death' have been saved in the first year a specialist Birmingham heart clinic has been running, doctors have revealed.

The Sudden Cardiac Death Syndrome Clinic opened a year ago to support and perform heart tests on families who unexpectedly lost loved ones from undetected cardiac disorders. 

Cardiologists running the centre said two people referred since its launch were diagnosed with life-threatening conditions and fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator - a device no bigger than a matchbox which gives tiny electric shocks to kick-start the heart. 

"There is a high probability this intervention prevented two deaths," said Dr Michael Griffith, consultant cardiologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Edgbaston, where the clinic is based. 

"If we identify just one person whose life can be saved, then the clinic is doing its work.  With the frequency of referrals increasing steadily, we are likely to see many more patients living longer than they might have done thanks to our early intervention." 

Specialists from Birmingham Children's Hospital and Worcester Acute Trust also work for the clinic.  It is supported by the charities Cardiac Risk in the Young and Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome and takes patients Midland-wide in the hope of preventing further tragedies. 

Midland coroners and GP's are involved in suggesting concerned families visit the clinic following sudden heart deaths of relatives to see if others may be in danger.  Victims of sudden adult death syndrome have included 16-year-old Alison Linforth, from Longbridge, who died on her first day at Cadbury Sixth Form College, in Kings Norton, in September 2003.  And Walsall FC youth player Anton Reid, aged 16, collapsed while training in August 2007.  Sudden cardiac death affects children and young adults but an underlying inherited condition is often discovered.