Fewer heart attack patients die when top cardiologists are away at conferences, study finds

Heart attack patients are more likely to survive when top cardiologists are not in the hospital, a new study suggests.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that when heart specialists are away at academic conferences, the survival rate at their hospitals actually improves.

They believe that specialists who attend the meetings are more prone to using intensive interventions for their patients which may do more harm than good, rather than taking a more holistic approach.

"Many medical interventions deliver no mortality benefit, and the fact that mortality actually falls for heart attack patients during these conference dates raises important questions about how care might differ during these...

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