KRISHNA Heart and Super Specialty Institute

When a heart attack occurs, it's critical to recognize the signals and respond immediately. About half of all heart attack victims wait two hours or longer before deciding to get help. This reduces their chance of survival, because delay in the early phases increases the risk of sudden death. It also lessens the chance of preserving heart muscle, which raises the risk of disability for those who survive.
Time is critical. Anyone experiencing the warning signals of a heart attack should be taken immediately to the nearest hospital with 24-hour emergency cardiac care. People who become unconscious before reaching the emergency room may receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
The importance of time cannot be overemphasized. When a coronary artery gets blocked, the heart muscle doesn't die instantaneously. Instead, damage increases the longer artery remains blocked. If a victim gets to an emergency room fast enough, a technique called reperfusion therapy may be done using drugs (thrombolysis), balloon angioplasty (P.T.C.A.), or surgery. The sooner any of the reperfusion techniques occur, the more likely the patient will have a good result.
If not done immediately, in the weeks after a heart attack, either percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), stent procedure or coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) may be performed to improve the blood supply to the heart muscle. Once part of the heart muscle dies, its function can't be restored. Function may be restored to areas with decreased blood flow, however.