Why women are more likely to die in cardiac arrest than men
Posted: 16-02-2022 | Written by: AED Solutions
![Why women are more likely to die in cardiac arrest than men]()
An increasing number of individuals are surviving cardiac arrest outside the hospital. That's good news! Only, research shows women are more likely to die after cardiac arrest than men. Read in our blog what the possible factors are and how we can contribute to a higher survival rate for women.
Factors:
- The symptoms of cardiac arrest tend to be different in women than in men. Bystanders are less likely to suspect heart problems. In 69 percent of cases, women are resuscitated immediately, compared to 74 percent for men. Instead of chest pain, women may experience neck and jaw pain, vomiting and fainting.
- Women are also less likely to have a so-called “shockable initial rhythm,” which is important to their chances of survival. When cardiac arrest begins with a shockable rhythm, it means there is an irregular heartbeat that causes the heart to shake and stop pumping blood. The name shockable rhythm already indicates that the heart can be defibrillated (shocked) using an AED. Women are less likely to have this shockable rhythm.
- Women are much more likely to have a heartbeat that is too slow or no electrical activity at all. A shock then does not help to restore the rhythm, although CPR is useful. Sometimes the heart regains activity by pushing on the chest, but the chances of survival are much lower.
- Another theory is that laymen are afraid to resuscitate women properly because of fragility of the female body and the presence of breasts. CPR manikins are often male and this is the standard that is practiced on in practical courses. Possibly this standard has an effect on the timely initiation of CPR in women.
Many of the abovementioned factors are beyond our control. What we do have an control over is the last point; “that laymen are afraid to resuscitate women properly".
Prestan Female Accessory offer s solution
Prestan introduces the 'Female accessory' that allows Prestan CPR torsos to be converted to a female torso with breasts. The Prestan Female accessory for women is designed to encourage dialogue, break down barriers, overcome hesitation and eliminate gender bias in CPR administration and training. All to improve the survival rate of CPR in women. . 
Suitable for all CPR torsos
The new Female Accessory is available in medium and dark skin and can be attached to all Prestan CPR torsos. Are you ready to bring female empowerment into your training program? Order the Prestan Female Accessory now through our webshop and receive it as one of the first trainers in the Netherlands.
Order Female Accessory
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