Racial Gap Found in CPR Rates

摘要：16, 2006 (Chicago) - Blacks suffering cardiac arrest are much less likely than whites to get lifesaving CPR from someone in their home, a new study suggests。 However, only 20% of blacks received CPR from bystanders, vs。 “The obvious inference [from the study] is that black family members are n......

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Nov. 16, 2006 (Chicago) - Blacks suffering cardiac arrest are much less likely than whites to get lifesaving CPR from someone in their home, a new study suggests.

In the study, about 70% of cardiac arrest sufferers of both races collapsed in their home. However, only 20% of blacks received CPR from bystanders, vs. 33% of whites.

But if a black person goes into cardiac arrest on the street, passersby don't care what the person looks like -- both races are equally likely to be resuscitated, says researcher Robert O'Connor, MD, MPH.

"The obvious inference [from the study] is that black family members are not trained to use CPR. And if they are, they're afraid to do it," O'Connor, who is director of education and research in the department of emergency medicine at Christiana Care Health System in Newark, Del., tells WebMD.

During cardiac arrest, the heart suddenly stops beating; blood does not circulate; and sufferers quickly fall into unconsciousness. CPR, short for cardiac pulmonary resuscitation, can help keep the heart pumping blood and can get air into the lungs until paramedics arrive.

O'Connor's findings were presented here at the annual American Heart Association (AHA) meeting.

A Matter of Education

AHA spokeswoman Barbara Howard, MD, says it's all a matter of education. Howard is also president of Medstar Research Institute, a nonprofit health group based in Hyattsville, Md.

CPR courses are often not widely available in the black community, she says, even though blacks are at higher risk of dying from heart diseaseheart disease than whites.

"We need to reach out," Howard tells WebMD. "In the meantime, people of all races should do what they can to get to the nearest CPR course."

In-Home CPR Lower in Blacks

Researchers in the study studied 748 people who had suffered a cardiac arrest in their community.

In every case, paramedics were called and the caller was told to perform CPR until help arrived.

The study shows that 45% of 563 white sufferers then received CPR from a bystander, compared with 34% of 185 black sufferers.

Not surprisingly, the whites were more likely to survive: 30% vs. 17% of blacks.

Seeking to explain the racial gap, researchers pinpointed in-home CPR rates as the cause.

In addition, blacks were slower to receive CPR if they collapsed at home rather than in public: 4.4 minutes vs. 3.3 minutes.

"Even when CPR was done in a black person's home, there was an one minute delay," O'Connor says. "It was as if people had to convince themselves it was the right thing to do."

SOURCES: American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2006, Chicago, Nov. 12-15, 2006. Robert O'Connor, MD, MPH, director of education and research, department of emergency medicine, Christiana Care Health System, Newark, Del. Barbara Howard, MD, president, Medstar Research Institute, Hyattsville, Md.; spokeswoman, American Heart Association.

发布日期：2006-11-17

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• Racial
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