The clock starts when the patient arrives at the hospital and stops when the balloon is inflated in the cardiac cath lab (which is part of the procedure). One of the quality measures for STEMI care is the “ door-to-balloon” (D2B) time or the amount of time it takes to successfully re-open the occluded artery. Cardiologists have a mantra that “time is muscle” to express the importance of early treatment. There is a direct relationship between the amount of time a heart artery is blocked and the severity of the heart attack and odds of survival. This procedure is also referred to as angioplasty or stenting. STEMI can be treated with “clot-busting” drugs called thrombolytics (also called fibrinolytics) or with a primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in a cardiac catheterization lab. When this happens they may delay seeking care for hours. Some patients experience denial and dismiss their symptoms as heartburn or indigestion. Palpitations (uncomfortable awareness of the heart beat).Diaphoresis (sweatiness) unexplained by ambient temperature.
These patients require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation - a “shock” to restore a normal heart rhythm. Patients experiencing acute STEMI are at risk for developing life-threatening arrhythmias like ventricular fibrillation which causes sudden cardiac arrest, sometimes referred to as a “massive heart attack”. It is a profoundly life-threatening medical emergency and usually associated with a disease process called atherosclerosis (coronary artery disease). You can find a useful video about heart disease and heart attacks at the Khan Academy. Electrocardiogram with ST-segments elevated
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