AMBULANCE ramping increases patients' risk of dying within 30 days, and is associated with preventable deaths, according to a Victorian study.

A rise in ambulance offload delays across the country has prompted researchers to call for urgent action to prevent dire consequences for patients.

Nearly one in 10 calls for ambulances nationwide are for people with chest pain, the findings published in the Medical Journal of Australia show.

The research looked at patients with non–traumatic chest pain who were taken to Victorian emergency departments by ambulance between January 2015 and June 2019, excluding those transported under lights and sirens.

The researchers found the median offload time increased over that period.

Rising also were the risks of death and of ambulance re–attendance for patients within 30 days of their initial ED presentations, which were higher when ramping times exceeded 17 minutes. –AAP