Decreased Door to Balloon Time: Better Outcome for the Patient?

Recently the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association instituted DTB of 90 minutes or less as a class I recommendation. Since 2006 the percentage of patient meeting this metric has substantially increased, although research has demonstrated discrepancies in whether or not this objective is associated with better patient outcome. Here, we reviewed seven studies in effort to investigate the validity of the 90 minute or less door to balloon time. Our findings suggest that patient outcome in the setting of acute myocardial infarction is multifactorial, and while the door to balloon time metric likely has played a role in better patient outcomes it is not the sole factor in improving mortality rates.