For Dr. Marc Kozinn, a cardiologist living near a large suburban hospital, his symptoms that night were unmistakable. When the paramedics arrived, he asked to be taken directly to ECMC. That’s because he knew at the time that only ECMC provided emergency lifesaving care for heart attack victims 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Dr. Kozinn was rushed to one of the hospital’s cardiac catheterization labs and the team was waiting to perform an angioplasty. Using a surgical balloon, angioplasty opens clogged vessels to the heart. The ‘door-to-balloon time’ is the time from hospital arrival until the balloon opens an artery in the heart of the patient. ECMC’s door-to-balloon time is significantly faster than the national average and Dr. Kozinn also credits the medical center’s nursing team with being especially helpful during his recovery.