Man Dies Of Heart Attack At JFK Airport After Security Blocked First Responders From Reaching Him: How Long Can A Heart Attack Go Untreated?

A man died Saturday morning after suffering a heart attack at Kennedy Airport because the terminal's security doors blocked the first responders' electronic ID cards from gaining them entry.
Gunseye Adekunle, 50, collapsed in the $1.4 billion Terminal 4 — which was recently installed — while he was preparing to board an Arik Air flight to Nigeria, sources told the New York Post. The call went out to the Port Authority emergency operator around 6:30 a.m.
At the time of the call, Adekunle was "unresponsive" but breathing.
Within the minute, a PAPD ambulance known as Medical One was dispatched to aid Adekunle; however, when the team reached the terminal, they were denied entry. Their electronic ID cards wouldn't open the doors.
"Access denied at elevator," a radio transmission noted.
And while the crew circumvented the denied entryway for another point of access, the EMTs were still relying on the FDNY to provide paramedics who were better-trained and better-equipped to handle such a scenario. Meanwhile, precious minutes are ticking by as Adekunle still lies motionless in the airport.
The Fire Department also ran into trouble when the Port Authority officer escorting them had his ID card denied by the security system. At 7:10 a.m., 40 minutes had passed since the initial call reached the dispatcher.
"Seconds are critical when responding to a cardiac event," a source familiar with the incident said, "and unfortunately, unnecessary obstacles take away those critical seconds and possibly a patient's fighting chance."
The decision was eventually made to bring Adekunle down from the terminal to the FDNY ambulance, the Post reports. He was placed in the vehicle for transport to Jamaica Hospital, where he was declared dead.
"You had all the assets needed to keep this guy alive," a law-enforcement source said. "But they never really had the chance to help him."
A Heart Attack's Timeline
When a person suffers from myocardial infarction, more commonly known as a heart attack, it's because not enough blood is reaching the heart. Oftentimes, this is the result of a clogged coronary artery. The ensuing restriction in blood supply, known as ischemia, and oxygen shortage can culminate in the death (infarction) of heart muscle tissue (myocardium).
Typical symptoms include sudden chest pain and tightness (often on the left side), shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, sweating, and anxiety.
To combat the clogged artery, doctors will often inflate the blocked area in a procedure known as an angioplasty. A balloon is inserted into the artery and inflated to remove the blockage. Sometimes doctors will then insert a stent, a mesh wire tube that permanently keeps the passageway open.
In order to reach the hospital for an angioplasty, certain time frames must be observed. According to one source, heart attack patients need to arrive at the hospital within 30 minutes so the angioplasty can be performed within the 90-minute window.
Despite Adekunle's untreated heart attack, the rates of treatment and the speed with which they're performed have both improved over the years. One Yale University study found that "door to balloon" time for angioplasties, or D2B time, has improved from 44 percent of patients getting treatment within the 90-minute window in 2005, to 91 percent in 2010.
Simply put, the less time the patient's heart has to work under extreme blockage, the less medical professionals need to consider death as a legitimate threat.
In Adekunle's case, the flaws in technology are what compromised his chance of survival, not the immediacy medical personnel observed when responding to the emergency.
Delta Airlines denied responsibility for the incident. A spokesman for the Port Authority said the department was investigating further.
"The safety of our public is always of paramount importance," he said in a statement.
Terminal 4 was completed in the spring of 2013 "as part of a $1.4 billion investment," according to the Delta website, aimed at providing a 21st century airport to New York "designed to provide you with a more comfortable, convenient, airport experience."