Video of a Beating Heart

"In 1948 ... a heart attack signaled the end of an active life. One-third of the patients who reached the hospital died within weeks, and surviving patients still faced a long ordeal. Virtually the only treatments available were painkillers and complete bed rest. ... Now most patients return to normal activities within weeks of a heart attack," said Claude Lenfant, Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.