According to Massin, medical personnel can administer drugs which open up the arteries and allow blood to flow. These drugs have their maximum effectiveness within the first two hours of a heart attack. The American Heart Association is the largest voluntary health organization fighting heart disease and stroke. About every 20 seconds, an American will suffer a heart attack, and about every minute someone will die from one. At least 250,000 people a year die of heart attack within one hour of the onset of symptoms and before they reach a hospital.
Heart attack is the single largest killer of American males and females.
About 80 percent of coronary mortality in people under age 65 occurs during the initial attack. Most heart attack victims survive if they recognize the early warning signs of heart attack and get medical care at once. Treatment for heart attack can be administered in emergency vehicles on the way to the hospital.