Coordinated response cuts time to treatment for deadly heart attacks

The largest nationwide demonstration project aimed at reducing time to treatment for people suffering ST segment elevation myocardial infarction suggests a coordinated response results in more people getting life-saving treatment sooner. Treatment response times improved the most when patients were taken by EMS directly to hospitals that could perform the procedure to open blocked heart arteries. The AHA’s Mission: Lifeline STEMI Systems Accelerator model can help standardize and coordinate emergency medical systems and hospital-based care for STEMI patients, researchers said.