Heart attack patients are more likely to survive treatment by a doctor

Higher survival rates for heart attack patients treated by a doctor

Every year around 300,000 people in Germany suffer a heart attack (myocardial infarction). In an acute case, quick action can save lives. If the patient is a woman, she has better chances of survival if she is being treated by a doctor. This now showed an analysis of more than half a million patients in the US.

Gender differences

According to health experts, heart attacks are often not recognized in women, partly because the disease is symptomatically different than in men. In addition, there are scientific studies that indicate that the chances of survival in a heart attack for women is lower than for men. A new study showed that this apparently also has to do with the gender of the treating physician.

According to a new study, women with a heart attack have better chances of survival if they are treated by a doctor. (Image: Kzenon / fotolia.com)

Higher chances of survival with treatment by a doctor

According to a new study, a woman who suffers from a heart attack and is being treated by a doctor has a higher chance of survival than being cared for by a male doctor.

The survival rate "had a significant and positive effect," as stated in the paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers at Harvard University, Washington University, St. Louis, and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities were involved in the research.

Lower mortality rate

To get their results, the researchers used data from over 580,000 people who had been treated for emergency heart attacks in the US state of Florida between 1991 and 2010.

According to the information, nearly twelve percent of these patients died altogether.

Surprisingly, the experts also found that the mortality rate was 5.4 percent lower when women were treated by women.

Female doctors achieve better treatment results

"Our work confirms earlier research that shows that female doctors tend to get better outcomes than male doctors," the science journal cites study author Seth Carnahan of Washington University, St. Louis.

"The study also suggests that male doctors who have treated more women or have more female colleagues are more successful in treating women," says a report from "CNN.".

Therefore, it would be welcome to employ more female doctors in emergency rooms. (Ad)