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October 2017

Incentivizing Transradial Access for Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention While Maintaining Timely Reperfusion

Author Affiliations
  • 1Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Cardiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
  • 2Division of Cardiology, Columbia University Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York
  • 3Cardiovascular Research Foundation, New York, New York
  • 4Associate Editor, JAMA Cardiology
  • 5Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina
JAMA Cardiol. 2017;2(10):1057-1058. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2017.2348

“Time is myocardium” is a concept deeply ingrained in the psyche of all clinicians caring for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The widespread adoption of organized systems of care to facilitate timely reperfusion of such patients is undoubtedly one of the great success stories in modern health care delivery. In 2005, fewer than half of patients with STEMI achieved door-to-balloon times (ie, time from hospital arrival to performance of primary angioplasty or balloon inflation) of less than 90 minutes.1 Today, through coordinated efforts by communities, hospitals, professional societies, and government agencies, greater than 95% of patients with STEMI achieve door-to-balloon times within this 90-minute target.2

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