What is the most important factor in treating a heart attack?

The most important factor in treating a heart attack is time. Dr. Spencer B. King, III, an executive director and the interim president of the Saint Joseph’s Heart and Vascular Institute in Atlanta, says, “Time is muscle. Time is the key ingredient.”

The good news is that many heart attack survivors have an excellent prognosis thanks to modern advances. This is especially true if treatment is started within one hour of the onset of symptoms.

Dr. Timothy J. Gardner, the former president of the American Heart Association, concludes, “I want to make one thing very clear. There is well-established evidence that the emergency treatment of heart attack patients with emergency or very rapid catheterization or clot-busting drugs with catheters is the best treatment for patients with acute heart attacks.”