Incredible strides have been made in the area of heart attack care. Mortality has decreased drastically, length of hospital stay has decreased, and people are returning to work sooner. These improvements are due in part to technological advances, but they are also the result of the advanced preventative care patients are receiving from their primary care physicians. Despite this progress, cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, are still the nation's number one killer, of both men and women.
See one patient's heart attack journey -- from the initial symptoms, to procedures followed by EMS personnel, to arrival in the Emergency Department, treatment in the cardiac catheterization (cath) lab, and recovery.