WEST Dunbartonshire had one of the highest heart failure rates in the whole of Scotland for 2018-19, according to official statistics. Figures released by the NHS’s information services division for Scotland reveal that 1.21 people in every 100 in West Dunbartonshire suffered from heart failure – where the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly. Only Comhairle nan Eilan Siar (Western Isles), Shetland and East Ayrshire had a higher rate than West Dunbartonshire for the most recent year for which figures are available. David Murdoch, lead consultant cardiologist at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “Heart failure is usually the end result of other cardiovascular disease such as heart attack and high blood pressure.