Angioplasty study challenges 12-hour window

A study released in today's Journal of the American Medical Association challenges the orthodoxy among cardiologists that angioplasties should only be performed with 12 hours of a heart attack. The limited study suggests that patients who get the procedure within 48 hours may suffer less muscle damage to the heart. According to one estimate, up to 40 percent of heart attack sufferers seek treatment outside the 12-hour window. Experts called the finding intriguing, but said more research is needed.

- see this story from the Philadelphia Inquirer