[Star Tribune, July 21, 2010] A study at United Hospital in St. Paul found that patients who suffer heart attacks get faster care and are more likely to survive if they are taken directly to a hospital catheter lab by the ambulance crew. This system requires specially trained paramedics who can diagnose heart attacks on their own without the aid of emergency room professionals.

The study found that the average time it took to treat the most dangerous heart attacks dropped from 81 minutes to 36 minutes when patients were taken directly to a “cath lab.” Furthermore, patients who were transported directly to the catheter lab died in the hospital only 3.9 percent of the time compared to a 7.5 percent mortality rate for those who first went through the ER.

Read the full story at the Star Tribune.