in focus: successful, rapid treatment of heart attacks

Filed in archive Miscellany on March 4, 2006

In the recent issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers at Yale School of Medicine have identified some of the key elements for success in the rapid treatment of heart attacks.

It has been known that speed is important in restoring blood flow to reduce the amount of damage to the heart muscle. The shorter time elapsed from a patient's arrival to treatment with angioplasty is equal to better survival and less disability.

The authors of the study wrote that many of the nation's hospitals do not respond as quickly as the national guidelines suggest. However, 11 hospitals consistently delivered therapy to restore blood flow to heart attack patients in 90 minutes or less. Including Yale-New Haven Hospital, the researchers studied how staff at these hospitals regularly delivered such speedy, life-saving treatment.

The study found that success in treating heart attacks involves more than skilled doctors and nurses but more on how well they are organized, how teams function together and deal with setbacks. This reflects the ability of the hospital to pursue simultaneously contrasting approaches and balance the tensions between them.

Read more at Eurekalert.