Research shows that patients with certain types of heart attacks are much more likely to recover fully if treated within 90 minutes. Treatment involves angioplasty, a procedure that is done in a heart catheterization lab by highly skilled physicians and others. It is typically available only in large metro areas.

The Level One Heart Attack Program evolved from the need to connect rural areas with this level of treatment. It relies on a high level of collaboration among emergency responders, community hospitals and the Minneapolis Heart Institute® at Abbott Northwestern Hospital.

The program was launched in 2003 and has set a national standard for responding to cardiovascular emergencies. Hospitals and communities throughout the country have used the Level One Heart Attack Program as a model of care.

The goal is to begin angioplasty within 90 minutes of the patient’s arrival in the local emergency department. Local emergency care providers stabilize the patient and share information with their colleagues at the Minneapolis Heart Institute®. A designated Level One emergency is declared, setting in motion a standardized process than ensures efficient and effective care.

The Minneapolis Heart Institute® at Abbott Northwestern Hospital has developed standardized guidelines and systems to care for all cardiovascular emergencies, including heart attacks. These streamlined processes are helping hospitals throughout the region provide better care for heart attack patients and have cut mortality for heart attack patients by 50 percent.