Surviving Cardiac Arrest Varies City To City

Surviving Cardiac Arrest Varies City to City

A report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that surviving a cardiac arrest varies by as much as fivefold depending on the city where the cardiac arrest happens.  The study done by doctors at the University of Washington shows that in almost half the cases, no attempt at resuscitation was even made. Of the 58% of the patients who got emergency treatment the survival rate varied community by community from 3% to 16.3%.

Ventricular fibrillation is a potentially fatal abnormal heartbeat. The survival rate of people who had ventricular fibrillation in the study ranged from 7.7 percent to 39.9 percent.

Ventricular fibrillation was singled out, because “it can be treated successfully with a defibrillator,” which delivers a heartbeat-restoring shock, Nichol said. “But it is not so simple as putting defibrillators into a community setting. You need a system of response which includes recognition and treatment by the public.”If you have a loved one who suffered from a cardiac arrest, heart attack or other heart condition and you feel they did not receive timely or proper treatment, our lawyers will investigate to see whether you may have a medical malpractice case.  Our attorneys have obtained money for injured patients all over the greater Pittsburgh area including Uniontown, Washington, and Greensburg.