A LIFE-SAVING piece of medical equipment has been stolen from a hospital.

Medical staff and police have been left stunned by the theft of a portable ultra-sound heart monitor from the Cardiology Unit at the University Hospital of North Durham and detectives fear it may have been stolen to order for an overseas hospital.

Hospital staff discovered the £35,000 Acusan Cypress cardiac scanner was missing on Monday morning. The device, which weighs 8.6kg and is roughly the size of a small portable television set, gives ultrasound images of the heart to help doctors diagnose heart problems among patients.

The machine had been securely fixed to a trolley, but the thieves appear to have stolen it from the unit, then dumped the trolley in a nearby hospital waiting room.

Detectives are examining video footage from the hospital's cameras for clues and are questioning staff about whether they saw any visitors acting suspiciously.

However, officers conceded that the theft appeared to have been well-planned and suggested that the scanner may be destined for a foreign hospital.

Det Sgt Tony Dumighan, of Durham Police, said: "Screws which held the machine on to the trolley were carefully removed before the scanner was taken.

"This is a highly specialised and expensive piece of equipment, which would be of limited value to anyone other than specialists working within a hospital or health service environment.

"Clearly there is a possibility the scanner has been deliberately targeted and any market for resale may well be outside this country." The scanner, which was bought just a year ago, is used daily. Although the stolen scanner is expected to be replaced, the unit will now rely on its other scanner, which staff said was significantly older, takes longer to operate and is about 20 times heavier.

A hospital spokesman said: "The patients will not miss out, they will still get their scans, but it is going to be incredibly inconvenient both for patients and staff.

"Medical equipment does get stolen from time to time, but this is unusual because it is of such high value. This is a piece of equipment used by people with potentially serious medical conditions and it is a serious matter when something like that goes missing."

Anyone with information should call police on 0845 6060365 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.