Heart Attack Treatment Times Improving Thanks to National Initiative
By Lifesaver Education
One of the most common types of heart attack is the ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction. (STEMI) It generally occurs when atherosclerotic plaque in the arteries ruptures and blocks the flow of blood to the heart depriving it of oxygen. When this happens, cardiac cells die with the potential result being the death of the person exhibiting symptoms, or a chronic heart condition that may require pacing or medication for the duration of the person’s life. However, if medical treatment is quickly administered, in the form of thrombolytics or angioplasty, the patients’ chances of survival and the resumption of a well-functioning heart increase dramatically.
“Time is muscle” is a saying familiar to most medical professionals; it is said in reference to those crucial minutes between the onset of cardiac symptoms and the lifesaving treatment thereof. Though those critical minutes are also referred to as the “golden hour,” rarely did a patient receive the necessary interventions in an hour or less. However, in the past five years, according to a study published in “Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association,” patients are now being treated 32 minutes faster on average. They are currently being treated in about 64 minutes, which is a significant decrease from the previous time of 96 minutes. Another improvement mentioned in the study is the fact out of all of the heart attack patients that required emergency angioplasty in 2010; more than 90 percent received treatment within the recommended 90 minutes much better than the 2005 rate of 44 percent.
The improvement in the above statics can be largely credited to The American College of Cardiology’s “Door-to-Balloon” campaign. This campaign focuses on providing a person suffering a myocardial infarction with expedient care and as near immediate access to thrombolytics and angioplasty as possible (H the “Door-to-Balloon” reference). The D2B protocol has not only reduced patient morbidity and mortality by 30 percent, it has resulted in an improvement of the long-term health of the patient, and improving the long-term health of a patient has been found to reduce the costs of health care in the future.
With widespread implementation of initiatives like the Door-to-balloon program we would see a reduction in the costs of health care in general. D2B may be just the lifesaving intervention that not only the patient requires, but one the United States health care system needs as well. To learn more about the D2B initiative sign up for a CPR class or online BLS classes at Lifesaver Education.
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