Are Blacks Less Likely to Get Attention During Cardiac Arrest?
Are Blacks Less Likely to Get CPR During Cardiac Arrest? - as part of the news series by GeoBeats.
We can find plenty of media stories pertaining to race in the areas of employment, education and housing. But there are some subjects, just as pertinent but they are rarely covered.
For instance, a study released back in 1994 showed that black victims in Memphis, TN were receiving considerably less care from someone witnessing a cardiac arrest - 9.8% versus 21.4% for whites. Have the statistics gotten any better?
Researchers from University of Pennsylvania are showing that black cardiac arrest patients are still not getting the same treatment prior to admittance into hospitals. The researchers gathered their data on close to 5,000 adult patients in Philadelphia and found that 7.5% of white patients got CPR from bystanders compared to 5.6% for black patients. Furthermore, 34% of white patients received a shock treatment from a defibrillator, whereas, only 27% of black patients were given the same treatment.
According to the American Heart Association, “African-Americans are almost twice as likely to experience cardiac arrest at home, work or in another public location than Caucasians, and their survival rates are twice as poor as for Caucasians.” The noticeable racial inequality is being investigated further to understand other contributing factors.
We can find plenty of media stories pertaining to race in the areas of employment, education and housing. But there are some subjects, just as pertinent but they are rarely covered.
For instance, a study released back in 1994 showed that black victims in Memphis, TN were receiving considerably less care from someone witnessing a cardiac arrest - 9.8% versus 21.4% for whites. Have the statistics gotten any better?
Researchers from University of Pennsylvania are showing that black cardiac arrest patients are still not getting the same treatment prior to admittance into hospitals. The researchers gathered their data on close to 5,000 adult patients in Philadelphia and found that 7.5% of white patients got CPR from bystanders compared to 5.6% for black patients. Furthermore, 34% of white patients received a shock treatment from a defibrillator, whereas, only 27% of black patients were given the same treatment.
According to the American Heart Association, “African-Americans are almost twice as likely to experience cardiac arrest at home, work or in another public location than Caucasians, and their survival rates are twice as poor as for Caucasians.” The noticeable racial inequality is being investigated further to understand other contributing factors.