The Heart Can't Wait for Stents

Propping open a clogged artery with angioplasty and a stent in the first few hours after a heart attack can mean the difference between life and death or between full recovery and severe disability. But about a third of patients who could benefit from such interventions don’t make it to the hospital within the first 12 hours of their heart attack, which is the optimal time for these procedures. Should doctors go ahead and do them anyway?