September 4th, 2013
Too Much Emphasis on Door-to-Balloon Time?
Larry Husten, PHD
One of the great medical advances in recent years has been the improved treatment of acute myocardial infarction. As the enormous benefits of earlier reperfusion became evident, medical systems in many parts of the world aimed to treat increasing numbers of patients in a shorter time frame. The door-to-balloon (D2B) time as a performance measure […]
June 23rd, 2011
The Elusive 30-Minute “Door-In to Door-Out” Benchmark for Primary PCI Transfers
CardioExchange Editors, Staff
The editors at CardioExchange have again asked a panel of experts to respond to a clinically important study. This time it was a retrospective cohort study, published in JAMA, of door-in to door-out (DIDO) times for patients with ST-segment-elevation MI who had been admitted to one hospital and then were transferred to another center for […]
June 21st, 2011
Study Finds Critical Delay in Most MI Patients Transferred for Primary PCI
Larry Husten, PHD
MI patients who arrive at hospitals unable to perform primary PCI need to be promptly transferred to another hospital in order to receive the full benefits of reperfusion. Unfortunately, these patients often have prolonged door-to-balloon times. A key element in the delay is the time spent at the first hospital, referred to as the door-in […]