The decline of ischemic heart disease mortality in Texas

This is a study of the decline of ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality in the State ofTexas, from 1970 to 1977. The data were collected and analyzed at three different levels: state, health service area (HSA), and county. The study was designed to test hypotheses pertaining to the role of the medical care system as a possible factor associated with the changing IHD mortality trends. The results suggest that factors such as emergency medical services (EMS), intensive care units (ICU) and coronary care units (CCUs) in hospitals, intensive care and coronary care beds and medical specialists are associated with the observed decline in heart disease mortality in Texas.