Angioplasty must within 90 minutes of heart attack

Mohali, June 10 (UNI) Quick angioplasty in the initial critical 90 minutes of a heart attack may work wonders for the suffering patients, not only in surviving the attack but also in better heart muscle function the long term.

The cardiologists of the most advanced and sophisticated angioplasty team in the region at Fortis hospital here have emphasised the need to give primacy to angioplasty, which is a far more sustainable and better procedure in effectively dealing with the sudden blockage of a large artery which leads a to heart attack, as compared to the usually offered and accepted procedure of clot buster drugs also called thrombolytic drugs.

Addressing mediapersons at the Fortis hospital, Director of Cardiology Dr Harinder K Bali asserted that of the two practiced techniques of either using clot buster drugs or mechanical coronary angioplasty, the latter is far more beneficial for the patients in the short and long term.

But angioplasty is seldom opted by cardiac care centers and hospitals in the region due to lack of logistical support to actually delivery angioplasty at such a short notice, he added.

Elaborating further, Dr Bali said that the sudden blockage of the large artery which supplies blood to the heart often puts tremendous pressure on heart muscles and response to this dysfunction has to be spontaneous. Angioplasty within the first 90 minutes is most effective in even preventing long term recurrence of the complications, he added.

''But use of thrombolytic drugs, 'the approach by default', is conveniently opted as against much superior angioplasty which is the best way out'', he pointed out.

''Just because logistical limitations of hospitals don't encourage speedy angioplasty doesn't mean one can be and should be confident with clot buster drugs'', he said.

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