Black patients are more likely to die following a heart attack than patients of other races when emergency responders bypass hospitals because their emergency departments (EDs) are overcrowded, reports Reuters.
Research with data on the subject included more than 91,000 patients admitted to California hospitals for a heart attack from 2001 to 2011. Results showed that when hospitals diverted ambulances for longer than six hours, black patients were more likely to die within a year of having a heart attack.
"Black patients still fared worse compared to white patients even though both experienced the same level of diversion, had the same access to technology, received the same measurable treatment, and were treated in similar hospitals," said lead study author Renee Hsia, MD, an emergency physician at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.
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Senior Writer
As a Senior Writer for TriMed Media Group, Katherine primarily focuses on producing news stories, Q&As and features for Cardiovascular Business. She reports on several facets of the cardiology industry, including emerging technology, new clinical trials and findings, and quality initiatives among providers. She is based out of TriMed's Chicago office and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Columbia College Chicago. Her work has appeared in Modern Healthcare, Crain's Chicago Business and The Detroit News. She joined TriMed in 2016.