Healthier Lifestyles
Men today smoke less, exercise more, eat better and read Men’s Health.
Better Meds
Blood pressure pills, antiarrhythmics and clot busters have evolved.
Surgical Tech Advances
Bypasses, angioplasty, defibrillators, pacemakers, transplants: now routine.
Another less recognised factor is faster diagnosis and treatment while heart attacks are happening. Researchers call this D2B, or “door to balloon,” says cardi ologist Harlan Krumholz. Over the past decade, the medical community has been focused on reducing D2B, which is the interval of time between arrival at the ER and the administration of a procedure, such as a blockage- clearing balloon angioplasty. Between 2005 and 2010, median D2B times fell from 96 minutes to 64 minutes. Simple strategies, such as having paramedics transmit electrocardiogram (EKG) readings to the ER via smartphone, have helped…
