Three patients have been given "heart attacks" by doctors in Liverpool during a live satellite broadcast.

Medical professionals at a conference in Germany watched as Dr Rod Stables performed the operations at the city's Cardiothoracic Centre.

The technique involves injecting alcohol into the patients' hearts giving them cardiac arrests in a bid to cure a rare condition.

The patients all suffer from a thickening of the heart muscle, which leaves them breathless and unable to exercise.

'Precision bombing'

Dr Stables, who diagnosed football manager Gerard Houllier's heart condition, was watched by delegates at the European Society of Cardiology conference in Berlin.

He explained the surgery as it was carried out and relayed to the conference by a satellite link-up.

His three patients, all men aged between 31 and 54 from Crosby, Southport and St Helens in Merseyside, are now recovering in hospital.

The procedure is known as alcohol ablation, and is still in its infancy in the UK.

There was a charged atmosphere and everyone was under tremendous pressure

Cardiothoracic Centre spokeswoman

It causes a small heart attack which kills off the excess muscle, increasing the blood flow back to normal.

Dr Stables has likened the technique to "precision bombing", saying it is deliberately destructive, but surprisingly safe.

A spokeswoman for the Cardiothoracic Centre said: "There was a charged atmosphere and everyone was under tremendous pressure.

"Fortunately everything went well and we are delighted with the outcome.

"Everything was over within two hours."

The patients were recovering in the centre's coronary care unit.