New data has revealed that 100 percent of WellStar Kennestone Hospital of Marietta's eligible heart attack patients in the first quarter of this year were treated in 90 minutes or less, with a median time of 58 minutes, Wellstar said Friday.

The Centers for Medicare/Medicaid indicates that the benchmark for "door to balloon time" for all patients who meet criteria for emergency angioplasty is 75 percent for a top performer, and 56 percent for an average performer.

WellStar said that when a coronary interventional procedure occurs in 90 minutes or less from arrival at an emergency room, blood flow can quickly be restored to the heart and minimize or even avoid damage to the heart muscle.

Other hospitals in the Atlanta area could not provide comparable numbers immediately. DeKalb Medical spokesman Mike Tu said the Decatur hospital has no certificate of need to perform emergency angioplasty and is not allowed by the state to perform the procedure.

Pat Jansen, WellStar's vice president of cardiac services, said knowing the warning signs of a heart attack is vital to getting to an emergency room on time.

"This accomplishment is based on the rolling 12 months demonstrating consistency and excellence across the recommended guideline care for heart attack patients," WellStar said in a statement. "Previously, WellStar Kennestone Hospital ranged from 80 percent to 90 percent of patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention in 90 minutes for an average patient volume of 25 to 30 patients per quarter. Most other sites report 10 to 20 heart attack patients per quarter, the hospital said.