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Black patients at increased risk for death from sudden cardiac arrest
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A national survey conducted by the Heart Rhythm Society revealed considerable gaps in perception between health care providers and patients in terms of understanding the condition, its symptoms, risk factors and treatments, especially among black patients.
Results from the survey, which was conducted in conjunction with Ipsos Healthcare, showed that black patients are significantly less familiar with sudden cardiac arrest, with only 18% able to correctly identify the condition vs. 24% of the general population, according to a press release.
Additionally, researchers found that more than 60% of black patients with no self-reported prior CVD who reported experiencing heart disease symptoms do not visit health care providers while 90% also said their physicians had not discussed their risk for sudden cardiac arrest.
Moreover, treatment guidelines recommend implantable cardioverter defibrillators as the standard of care for patients at risk for sudden cardiac arrest, yet half as many blacks as whites or Hispanics said that implantable cardioverter defibrillators are the best way to treat the condition.
The survey also polled 300 physicians, including primary care providers, cardiologists and electrophysiologists, in the United States about their awareness of sudden cardiac arrest as well as their treatment and referral history. The researchers found that many physicians are unaware of the significant deadly impact of sudden cardiac arrest, with 49% failing to identify sudden cardiac arrest as the condition that poses the greatest risk to Americans today, despite the fact that it causes more deaths per year than stroke, breast cancer, lung cancer or AIDS. The majority of PCPs also do not identify at-risk patients, even when three or more risk factors for sudden cardiac arrest are apparent, according to the release. Further, only half of PCPs believe ICDs are the standard of care for patients at risk.
“Racial disparities in the prevention and treatment of sudden cardiac arrest result in too many preventable deaths. The first step toward reducing these substantial discrepancies is to treat the underlying causes and manage the various risk factors,” Walter Clair, MD, MPH, FHRS, electrophysiologist at Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute, said in the release. “However, to bridge the gap, both at-risk consumers and their physicians must better understand the signs and symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest, and physicians must translate evidence-based treatment guidelines, including the use of indicated medical devices, into their everyday clinical practice.”