Because a lack of blood supply to the heart muscle after a heart attack can cause lasting damage, it is important that treatment to open up blocked arteries be given as soon as possible.

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a category of procedures that includes:

• Angioplasty, in which a balloon is threaded into a blood vessel and then inflated to open it up
• Stenting, in which a small wire tube (the stent) is inserted inside a blood vessel to hold it open, and
• Atherectomy, in which a blade or laser cuts through and removes the blockage

This measures reports the percentage of eligible patients who received PCI within 90 minutes of arriving at the hospital.

A high score is better than a low score.

The chart above shows how Cedars-Sinai's performance on this measure compared with the top 10% of hospitals in the United States, the national average for hospitals, the top 10% of hospitals in California and the California average. These data reflect care given to patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from April through June 2007. The national and California data reflect care given to patients from April 2006 through March 2007.