LIVEWELL MINUTE: Cardiac Alert

Almost 1.5 million people suffer heart attacks each year in the United States. One-third of those people will die. But not all heart attacks are equal. Some attacks do more severe damage to heart muscle, which can cause death or a more difficult recovery.

Dr. Tim Hart, M.D., UnityPoint Health Cardiology says, “Cardiac Alert helps area paramedics identify patients with a more severe heart attack, so they can receive special assistance right away, and so we can be better prepared when they arrive at the hospital.”

After patients have been transported, a full team of specialists is ready in both the emergency room and cath lab to assist them. The critical “door to balloon” time is how long it takes after a patient arrives in the emergency room to when a catheter is inserted to open their artery.

Dr. Hart, says “The faster we can get that artery opened, the better. The national standard for this is 90 minutes or less. We’ve recently achieved times of less than ten minutes at Lutheran. It’s truly outstanding cardiac care, and we’re proud to help make that happen.”

If you suspect you or a loved one is having a heart attack, call 911 right away.

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