You'd think suffering a heart attack when you're already in the hospital would increase your chances of survival. Apparently, it's not the case, according to a study.
Researchers led by University of North Carolina's Dr. Prashant Kaul studied statistics from California between 2008 and 2011. They found out that in 303 hospitals, there were 62,021 cases of STEMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction) heart attacks, a certain type of heart attack that required treatment such as medication for dissolving blood clots or opening narrowed arteries using a stent.
Unfortunately, in cases where STEMI heart attacks are involved, there was a death rate of 33.6 percent in patients admitted and being treated for non-cardiac conditions in the first place. For those who experience STEMI heart attacks outside the hospital, fatalities only accounted for 9.2 percent of cases.
This ironic result of the study may be attributed to the fact that treatment for patients already in the hospital is not focused on STEMI heart attacks. Maybe there is bigger concern over treating the non-cardiac condition the patient is being admitted into the hospital for.
The findings of the research were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and were released on Nov. 16 in time for the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Chicago.
"The question of how to improve outcomes and define optimum treatment in hospitalized patients who experience a STEMI is an area that merits more attention and concern," explained Kaul.
While treatment options for STEMI heart attacks have improved, thereby improving outcomes while speeding treatment time; these are mostly applied to outpatients. Few initiatives have been developed geared towards optimizing care for hospitalized patients who experience STEMI heart attacks only after they have been admitted.
According to the study, STEMI heart attacks occurred more in older females. As it is, heart attacks have a tendency to manifest differently in women, with many of the "classic" symptoms, such as pain in the arm, jaw, or chest, heartburn, or excessive sweating, present. With more subtle symptoms such as abdominal pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, or loss of finger sensation, exhibited, healthcare workers in hospitals are easily misdirected, most especially when a patient is in the hospital for a condition that shares those symptoms.
Further research is necessary to weed out the root cause of differences in heart attacks so in the meantime, patients must practice diligence in reporting whatever changes they will feel during their stay in the hospital.
