It can be a matter of life or death; when it comes to a heart attack seconds count. That's why doctors are always trying to improve patient care and the speed at which that happens.  Here’s a look inside a heart attack drill at the Avera Heart Hospital.

It's as close as our cameras will get inside the emergency room as someone suffers a life-threatening heart attack.

It's what doctors call a STEMI, also known as a severe heart attack.

“The blood flow in the vessel is completely stopped and that's from a blood clot that forms inside the vessel, once there’s an unstable spot inside the vessel,” Dr. Tom Isaacson of North Central Heart Institute said.

The make believe patient is not receiving oxygen to an area of the heart muscle.

“When someone's having a heart attack, you're talking about minutes. Time is muscle, and we're trying to save as much heart muscle as possible. When we have the drill, we're not only shaving minutes, but seconds can make a difference. So we're trying to get everything established as smooth as possible,” Dr. John Jerstad of Avera Heart Hospital said.

As a certified Chest Pain Center, the Avera Heart Hospital is required to run the drills.

“There are so many things going on in medicine right now and to keep track of the latest things, this is one way we can ensure that,” Jerstad said.

Doctors here can now receive information on the patient's heart rhythm before they even arrive at the hospital. It's why Isaacson says calling 911 is so important.

“You're going to have people there that can give you aspirin, that can give you oxygen, that can actually record that EKG at the scene and that be transmitted to us, be transmitted to other hospitals in Sioux Falls. We know what's going on then,” Isaacson said.

Once ER physicians and the cardiology team assess the patient, he's sent to the cardiac cath lab to a procedure to open the narrowed vessels.

This timed drill took just 10 minutes to get the patient into the cath lab from when he came through the doors.

But getting to the hospital quickly also played a large part in how fast the procedure is completed. Doctors say
once you notice symptoms, never drive to the hospital; always call 911.

“Heaviness, tightness, pressure, a feeling of can't catch your breath, discomfort in the arms, discomfort in the neck or the jaw; all of those things can essentially can be the warning symptoms that this is starting,” Isaacson said.

The exercise was to test the new EKG technology. These kinds of drills are done every single year.