Heart Beat: Double treatment for heart attack
Heart Beat
Double treatment for heart attack
If you are having a heart attack, it's best to be rushed to a hospital where you can undergo artery-opening angioplasty. Hospitals without that capability can offer a clot-busting drug. It's a good second choice that often, but not always, opens a blocked coronary artery. If you get a clot buster, does it make sense to be transferred to a different hospital for angioplasty once you are stable? A large Canadian trial says yes.
Heart attack victims seen at three dozen Canadian hospitals without the facilities to perform angioplasty were randomly assigned to get a clot-busting drug or to get the drug and also be moved within six hours to another hospital for angioplasty. Among those who got the drug alone, 17% had another heart attack, recurrent chest pain, new or worsening heart failure, or died in the next 30 days, compared with 11% of those who had follow-up angioplasty (New England Journal of Medicine, June 25, 2009).
To continue reading this article, you must log in.
Subscribe to Harvard Health Online for immediate access to health news and information from Harvard Medical School.
- Research health conditions
- Check your symptoms
- Prepare for a doctor's visit or test
- Find the best treatments and procedures for you
- Explore options for better nutrition and exercise
I'd like to receive access to Harvard Health Online for only $4.99 a month.
Sign Me UpAlready a member? Login ».
Disclaimer:
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.