Golden Hour

The very first hour after the onset of a heart attack, a cardiac emergency, is called the Golden Hour.

The golden hour window period for treatment during a cardiac emergency is an extremely important concept to understand because while most deaths and cardiac arrests occur during the initial hours, should the patient recieve appropriate treatment & care during this time period in a cardiac-emergency-ready facility, the effects of heart attack can be reversed better & patient survival is shown to be exponentially better than in patients who do not receive required treatment within the golden hour.

Time is of essence and it serves in the best interest of the patient to reach a healthcare facility as early as possible during cardiac emergencies.

The clot busting treatment protocols, if started during that brief window of 1 hour after onset of heart attack, can largely limit the damage to the heart tissue. The effects can be mitigated with appropriate care & treatment which varies from one patient to another depending on the site of vessel block, number of blood vessels involved, the severity of the obstruction & upon lots of other health parameters.