Cardiac response lags in Washington, DC

Only one in eight cardiac arrest patients transported by Washington, DC, ambulances make it to an emergency room with a pulse, while in nearby communities the rate is twice as high. Officials say the city is meeting a national standard of getting advanced life support units to critical cases within eight minutes 90% of the time. Experts say success in keeping cardiac arrest patients alive is one of the most telling indicators of the overall quality of an emergency medical system.