When a heart attack occurs, it's critical to recognize the signals and respond immediately. About half of all heart attack victims wait two hours or longer before deciding to get help. This reduces their chance of survival, because most heart attack victims who die do so within two hours of when the signals begin. Time is critical. Anyone experiencing the warning signals of a heart attack should be taken immediately to the nearest hospital with 24-hour emergency cardiac care.
Most communities have an emergency cardiac care system that can quickly respond to an emergency.
This prompt care for heart attack victims dramatically reduces damage to the heart. Prompt care for heart attack victims isn't the only reason so many people recover so quickly, but it's an important one. The importance of time cannot be overemphasized. When a coronary artery gets blocked, the heart muscle doesn't die instantaneously - damage increases the longer an artery remains blocked. The sooner a drug is used, the more effective it's likely to be.