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Leave the Driving to Them

About half of heart attack victims who make it to the hospital arrive by ambulance; the other half get there by car, on foot, or some other way. Does mode of transportation affect who gets to the hospital faster or treated quicker?

In the Rapid Early Action for Coronary Treatment (REACT) trial, a large study of heart attack care in 20 U.S. communities, people who got themselves to the emergency room arrived on average about 4 minutes faster than those transported by ambulance. Even so, it took about 20 minutes longer for them to start treatment than it did for those who called 911.

If you think you or someone with you is having a heart attack, calling 911 is the safest thing to do. Emergency crews can make sure your condition is stable and call ahead to the hospital; they also have equipment that can restart your heart if it stops.

Cousin Ernie or a taxi driver can't do any of that. They are the way to go, though, "if the wait for an emergency vehicle would impose a delay of greater than 20 to 30 minutes," according to guidelines from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology.

(Source: Harvard Heart Letter, June 2004)

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