Why are the odds of surviving a heart attack better in the NW?

KNKX Public Radio | By Keith Seinfeld

Published March 2, 2012 at 4:30 AM PST

Medic One launched in 1970 with a converted mobile-home as the rescue unit. That didn’t work out because it was unstable. The agency got it right, in the end.

In 1974, CBS’ 60 Minutes declared Seattle was the best place in the world to suffer a heart attack. Nearly forty years later, the reputation persists – and experts are still claiming Seattle is tops in saving victims of cardiac arrest.

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Keith Seinfeld

Keith Seinfeld is a former KNKX/KPLU reporter who covered health, science and the environment over his 17 years with the station. He also served as assistant news director. Prior to KLPU, he was a staff reporter at The Seattle Times and The News Tribune in Tacoma and a freelance writer-producer. His work has been honored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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