Follow-up
Hospital-to-hospital transfer times need work. In the November 2011 Heart Letter, we reported the good news that hospitals nationwide have substantially reduced the time it takes a heart attack sufferer to start getting artery-opening angioplasty after arriving at the emergency room.
But not all hospitals are equipped to do emergency angioplasty. In those situations, people having a heart attack are usually transferred via ambulance to a hospital that can. The news about how long a person waits between arriving at the first hospital and leaving in an ambulance for hospital No. 2 (so-called door-in-to-door-out time) isn't so heartening.
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