A paper published in the May 19 issue of the British Medical Journal found delay in door-to-balloon (D2B) time is associated with higher mortality rates in patients undergoing PCI. (Surprise!) The study was based on data from the ACC's National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR). Median D2B time was 83 minutes. The adjusted mortality rate for PCI by 30 minutes was 3.0 percent, while those with D2B times of 240 minutes had a mortality rate of 10.3 percent. The goal of the D2B Alliance for Quality (90 minutes) yielded a mortality rate of 4.3 percent.

The authors state that "their data support calls for an 'as soon as possible' standard for patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention." But how fast is too fast? Share your thoughts ...