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Late-night heart-attack patients face longer waits for treatment

Quality Improvement Monitor, August 18, 2005

Heart-attack patients who go to hospitals at night or on the weekend wait longer for an angioplasty than patients during regular hours, placing them at greater risk for severe health problems, according to a study in the August 17 Journal of the American Medical Association.

Night and weekend patients waited an average of 1 hour, 56 minutes for an angioplasty. Patients during regular hours waited 95 minutes, the study found.

Current clinical guidelines recommend a wait time of no longer than 90 minutes from the time patients enter the ED to the time they receive an angioplasty, according to an Associated Press report. Any delay marks a 7% increased risk that the patient may die.

The study suggests that hospitals find better and more efficient ways to bring after-hours staff into cardiac catheterization labs, the AP reported. Nearly two-thirds of all heart attack patients showed up at hospitals after hours, the study found.

Visit http://jama.ama-assn.org</a> for more on the study.

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