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Women with Heart Attacks Not Treated As Quickly as
Men
Mounting evidence women with cardiovascular problems
not treated equally with men
Sept. 12, 2005 A new study says women who suffer
heart attacks wait longer to be assessed, admitted and receive treatment
than men with the same condition. This study adds to the evidence of a
serious problem in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease
(CVD) in women, which is the number one killer of American women.
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Over 40 percent of all female deaths in America
occur from CVD, which includes coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke.
It is a threat that increases with eage and is estimated to kill about
500,000 women in America each year. It exceeds the next seven causes of
death in women combined, including cancer. More women die from stokes
than men. Yet, surveys have shown a majority of women do not see it as
the largest death threat for women.
The new study, published in the Journal of Advanced
Nursing, included 890 patients admitted to coronary care units via
casualty departments (emergency treatment) in six major teaching
hospitals in Dublin, Ireland. They were studied by a team led by Dr
Sharon O'Donnell from the City's Trinity College.
The study of 613 men and 277 women shows that:
> On average, women were medically assessed 30
minutes after arriving in casualty departments, compared with 20 minutes
for men.
> 92 per cent of women received aspirin, after an average of 55
minutes, compared with 95 per cent of men, after an average of 33
minutes.
> Women waited an average of 70 minutes for reperfusion therapy
which restores blood flow to the heart compared with 52 minutes for
men.
> Only 35 per cent of women received reperfusion therapy, compared
with 43 per cent of men. 40 per cent of women and 25 per cent of men did
not receive the therapy, because healthcare staff stated it was "too
late" to be clinically effective.
> The average time it took for women to be transferred to the
coronary care unit from the casualty department was three hours and 56
minutes 54 minutes longer than men.
"Treatment delays experienced by women may limit
their potential to achieve maximum benefit from reperfusion therapies,
which have been clinically proven to work more effectively when
administered early" says Dr O'Donnell.
"This could result in women being exposed to a
greater rate of life-threatening complications and less favorable
outcomes than their male counterparts.
"The image of the typical male heart attack victim
must be corrected in the minds of triage nurses - who carry out initial
assessments in casualty departments - and other healthcare staff.
"Better healthcare training and clinical awareness
are needed if women who have heart attacks are to receive the same care
as men."
Approximately 120 nurses working across the six
coronary care units in Dublin, took part in the study, completing a
25-item questionnaire for each patient admitted during the one-year
study.
The questionnaire used was designed with input from
a panel of experts and tested out during two pilot studies.
Only patients who were admitted via the hospitals'
casualty departments, who had a confirmed diagnosis of Myocardial
Infarction (heart attack) and who were sent to the hospitals' coronary
care units were included in the study.
"Our findings do not give reasons for assessment or
treatment delays, but they do present factual yet unexplained accounts
of the differences experienced by male and female patients" adds Dr
O'Donnell.
A study released in January said women are also
less likely than men to be correctly identified as having had a heart
attack.
"We accept that certain Myocardial Infarction
presentations are more difficult to assess and that practical, everyday
resources and funding issues may exacerbate treatment and
decision-making delays.
"However this study does raise important concerns
about equitable healthcare practice and we hope that it will prompt
further investigation and discussion, particularly on the issues
surrounding women who suffer heart attacks."
The research was funded by the Ireland's Health
Research Board.
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