Cardiac Arrests Deaths Down But Not for All
Many more Americans are surviving cardiac arrests these days, especially compared to twenty years ago. Yet women and African-Americans are still more likely to die from cardiac arrest.
Cardiac arrest is the abrupt loss of heart function and about 300,000 Americans a year experience a sudden cardiac arrest. What is the most horrifying aspect of a cardiac arrest is that it can happen to anyone at any age.
Studies were conducted over 500,000 cases of cardiac arrest from 1988 to 2007. It shows the death rate dropped from 68% in 1988-1992 to 57% in 2003-2007. However, women were 20% more likely to die from a cardiac arrest and African-Americans were 12% more likely than whites. This was still evident even after other risk factors such as other medical condition were taken to account.
What the study did not convey was why women and African-American had a higher mortality rate. Experts speculate lack of medical services such as suffering an arrest while alone can contribute to the rates. The best way to combat this is to educate people on how to recognize the signs of an arrest.
The two signs of cardiac arrest are:
- Sudden Loss of Responsiveness
- No Normal Breathing
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