New protocol slashes PCI-to-balloon time

A new team-oriented process in Houston has enabled caregivers to dramatically reduce the time it takes for a patient to receive balloon angioplasty and, in the process, has vastly improved mortality rates. Here are some of their keys to success: As part of a "cocktail" given in the ambulance, the protocol calls for half-doses of retavase to reduce likelihood of reinfarction. Cardiologists are called from the ED once the process begins, so they often are in the ED or cath lab when the patient arrives. A set of criteria helps determine which patients will receive the new protocol.