(February 12, 2010 - Insidermedicine)

About two-thirds of Canadians live within a 60-minute drive of a facility capable of performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the current treatment of choice for many types of heart attack, according to research published in the latest issue of Open Medicine.

Here is some information about PCI:

•    It is a procedure in which a balloon-tipped catheter is threaded into the blood vessels that feed the heart in order to open blockages

•    In general, the sooner after a heart attack individuals receive appropriate care, such as PCI, the more likely they are to recover completely

•    Many hospitals try to give heart attack patients a PCI within 90 minutes of reaching the hospital

Researchers from the University of Calgary used geographical information systems to estimate the amount of travel time by ground transportation to medical facilities capable of performing PCI. They then used 2006 Canadian census data to determine what proportion of Canadians aged 40 or over live within 60, 90, or 120 minutes of such a facility.

Overall, nearly 64% of Canadians aged 40 and older live within a 60 minute drive of a facility that provides PCI, but this proportion varies considerably from province to province. In New Brunswick, for instance, less than 16% of those aged 40 and older live this close to a PCI facility. Adding a single facility to each of 4 selected provinces would increase the proportion of individuals with this type of access to a PCI facility by 3.2 to 4.3%, depending on the province, which translates to access for an additional 470,000 individuals.

Today's research provides information that can help decision makers develop plans for regional care of cardiovascular emergencies.