Most people experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack still wait more than two hours before seeking treatment, disturbing new research finds.
The findings suggest that repeated public education campaigns about what to do when experiencing a heart attack are not getting through to some, the study authors say.
Experts have long recommended that anyone experiencing heart attack symptoms for more than five minutes, such as shortness of breath, chest pain or chest pressure, should call 911 immediately.
But this study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, finds many patients delay getting help.
Dr. Henry H. Ting, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., led a team who studied data on more than 100,000 patients who had a relatively mild form of heart attack, called a non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, or NSTEMI. It's a type of heart attack in which a blood clot in a coronary artery doesn't completely block the artery.
The researchers found that the average patient arrived at the hospital 2.6 hours after they first noticed symptoms. About 60 per cent waited more than two hours before calling 911 or going to the hospital, while a full 11 per cent waited more than 12 hours.
People who were older, female, non-white, had diabetes, or currently smoked were more likely to have longer delays.
Patients experiencing a heart attack at night, on the other hand, sought care in about 25 per cent less time than those who came to the hospital between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The authors say while it's not clear why patients call for help more quickly at night, it could be the patients become more scared at night because they may be alone at home. Or patients could have a higher tolerance of symptoms during the daytime when a patient is active or at work. Patients might also have the perception they'll have a shorter waiting time in an emergency departments at night.
Previous research has found that the longer a patient waits with an ST-segment myocardial infarction -- the more serious form of heart attack -- the lower their chances of survival. Since patients can't tell from their symptoms which attack they're having, it's important they get to hospital as quickly as possibleay.
Ting and his team conclude that "novel strategies to improve patient responsiveness to seek care" for heart attack symptoms are critical to minimize heart muscle damage.
In comments made to Reuters new agency, Ting noted that there have been dramatic improvement in emergency heart attack care in the last decade, so that patients can quickly receive angioplasty to unblock their veins.
But he said his research suggests many patients are still not seeking care quickly enough, despite public awareness campaigns, which may be making health system attempts to improve outcomes futile.
