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About Our Stemi Time

What you need to know about D2B & why it can save your life.

What is D2B?

Door-to-Balloon is a time measurement in emergency cardiac medicine (specifically for heart attack) beginning when a patient enters the emergency department and ending when the artery is unblocked in the cath lab. Time is muscle and unblocking arteries in a timely manner saves heart tissue therefore improving outcomes and quality of life.

What is the average D2B time?

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) recommend Door to Balloon times of 90 minutes or less.  Trident Health currently averages less than 60 minutes for door to balloon times – 30 minutes faster than the recommended time.

Why is D2B important?

Time is muscle and when a coronary artery is blocked, heart muscle begins deteriorating. The faster blood flow returns, the faster the heart muscle begins receiving critical oxygen and nutrients. Quick response times result in higher quality of life.

Call 9-1-1

If you or someone you know experiences heart attack symptoms, call 9-1-1. Trident’s partnership with EMS leads to faster intervention and better outcomes. EMS performs diagnostic tests upon arrival at the scene, then communicates with the emergency department during transport allowing medical professionals at the hospital time to prepare for the patient’s arrival and faster treatment.   

Heart Attack Symptoms

Chest discomfort – uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain
Discomfort in other areas of the upper body – pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach
Shortness of breath – with our without chest discomfort
Other signs – Sweating, nausea or lightheadedness

Women are more likely to experience symptoms other than chest pain.  They may have a greater tendency to have pain just under the breastbone, or complain of abdominal pain; indigestions; difficulty breathing; nausea and unexplained fatigue.  These symptoms may be accompanied by fainting or sweating. 

Call 9-1-1 immediately if you or someone you are with has the above symptoms! EMS is specially trained to care for patients experiencing these symptoms.

Important terms

Heart Attack - a heart attack happens when the arteries to the heart are narrowed or blocked by fat and cholesterol buildup.  This prevents the heart from getting the blood and oxygen it needs to live.  The more time passes without treatment, the greater damage to the heart.  Once heart muscle dies, the result is permanent heart damage or death.

Cardiac Catheterization - is the insertion of a catheter into a chamber or vessel of the heart. This is done for both investigational and interventional purposes such as unblocking clogged arteries by performing a balloon angioplasty to compress plaque buildup against artery walls improving blood flow.

What is a STEMI?

A STEMI (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction) is a deadly type of heart attack, which is identified on an EKG. Early treatment to the blocked coronary artery minimizes the extent of the heart muscle damage and preserves the pumping function of the heart, thereby, increasing survival and reducing or eliminating complications.

STEMI Time Calculation

Average STEMI times are approximate and are provided for informational purposes only. STEMI Times represent an average of our hospital's STEMI cases over the past 52 weeks for which data is available, and is defined as the time it took to reestablish blood flow from the time the patient arrived at the hospital's Emergency Room. The American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the Joint Commission have established that this should occur in 90 minutes or less.

Our average STEMI time is 59 minutes, which is lower than the national benchmark of 90 minutes.

Read more about our Emergency Department.


Heart Health Information

Trident Heart & Vascular Institute   


Watch a brief video featuring Dr. William Yarbrough, cardiologist at Trident Medical Center, discussing life saving actions you can take when experiencing chest pain.

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