Each year, around 50,000 French people die prematurely from cardiac arrest. Or about one cardiac arrest every 10 minutes. And, only 5-7% of cardiac arrest victims survive. However, certain warning signs often appear several weeks before the accident. Taken into consideration, they could alert the sick and increase their chances of survival, depending on the results ofa study published in the medical journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
“More than half of the patients who die suddenly would have warning signs, which would leave plenty of time to intervene,” explains Eloi Marijon, author of the study.
Researchers from the National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) studied precisely what happened in the 4 weeks preceding the onset of cardiac arrest. They reconstructed events in 839 men and women victims of sudden death by specifically questioning witnesses, family members, but also medical data from hospitals and private doctors in the region.
The most frequent symptoms
Pain in the chest was the most common symptom. Other warning signs were shortness of breath with exertion and loss of consciousness. “In two out of three cases the chest pains were caricatures of a heart problem, with intense pain in the vice. But they had been intermittent until the onset ofcardiac arrest. On the other hand, when it was a difficulty in breathing, it started a few days before and was most often continuous until cardiac arrest ”, specifies the Inserm researcher and cardiologist.
Ill-informed patients
The study also showed that only 19% of patients who “responded” to these symptoms called for help (the 15th). Patients who called were 6 times more likely to survive (reaching over 30% survival) compared to those who neglected their symptoms.
“The lesson is, if you have these kinds of symptoms, you can’t ignore them. If you are in this situation, go see your doctor as soon as possible. And above all, do not waste time, ”insists the author of the study.
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