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‘Disappointing’ care failing thousands of stroke patients

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Thousands of deaths and disabilities caused by strokes in Australia could have been avoided with better care and facilities, according to a new audit by the Stroke Foundation.

The study surveyed more than 30,000 stroke admissions to more than 120 hospitals in 2016 and found many patients were “denied best practice.”

Only 36 percent of stroke victims are reaching hospital within the crucial 4.5-hour window in order to receive essential ‘clot-busting’ medication, and just 30 percent received the medication within an hour of arriving at hospital – compared with 59 percent in the US and 62 percent in the UK.

The medication, called thrombolysis, acts by dissolving clots of blood disrupting blood flow to the brain. The sooner it is administered after a stroke, the better the chances of recovery.

But the audit found the potentially life-saving medication is only being used in 13 percent of eligible cases Australia-wide – although this is up from seven percent in 2015.

This is despite it being available in more than 70 percent of hospitals in the country.

The report also found a “significant disparity” between regional and metro areas, with less than half of regional victims receiving care from a dedicated stroke unit, compared to more than 75 percent in metro areas.

Australians in regional areas were 19 percent more likely to suffer a stroke than city-dwellers, according to the audit.

Sharon McGowan, CEO of the Stroke Foundation, said there is a lot of work to be done to achieve best practice.

“Surviving and living well after stroke should not be determined by your post code,” she said.

“Australia has one of the most advanced trauma systems in the world, we need to apply the same thinking to emergency stroke treatment to ensure people living in regional and rural Australia have the best chance of making a meaningful recovery after a stroke.”

But there’s a silver lining: the report found the number of stroke units Australia-wide had increased from 87 in 2015 to 95 this year, and the use of thrombolysis increased from only 7 percent in 2015.

Ms McGowan says improvements to stroke care can be achieved.

“Stroke is a serious medical emergency which requires urgent attention, but with the right treatment at the right time many people are able to recover,” she said.

“We [must] ensure every patient with a stroke has a clear pathway to stroke treatment, whether that be at the regional hospital, utilising telehealth, or transported to the nearest comprehensive stroke service.

“This means clear processes between ambulances, emergency departments and stroke units enabling patients to be diagnosed and provided with appropriate treatment quickly,” she said.

Check out our upcoming first aid courses in which you will learn how to see a stroke and treat. www.canberrafirstaid.com

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Quebec government makes High School CPR mandatory

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500,000 students already trained

MONTREAL, QC–(Marketwired – November 23, 2017) – Congratulations to Sébastien Proulx, Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports, who announced that CPR training will now be mandatory for all secondary 3 students throughout Quebec.

The ACT Foundation has been working in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Recreation and Sports, the Ministry of Health and Social Services, and medical directors around the province since 2006 to set up the CPR training program in all public high schools. This began with an initial commitment from the Health Minister at the time, Dr. Philippe Couillard.

Since that time the ACT Foundation has set up the CPR program in 400 public high schools while urging the Quebec government to make CPR training mandatory at the provincial level to ensure the long-term life of the program.

More than 1,600 teachers have been trained as instructors and these teachers have trained over 500,000 secondary students to date, with 68,000 more trained each year. Many lives have already been saved as a result of this lifesaving program (see link for many rescue stories).

The ACT Foundation is the charitable organization that is establishing the high school CPR program throughout Quebec and across Canada. ACT, with the support of its national health partners, AstraZeneca Canada, Sanofi Canada and Amgen Canada, and its community partners, have donated more than 11,000 CPR training mannequins to Quebec schools.

With eight in 10 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurring at home or in public places, empowering youth with CPR training as part of their secondary school education will dramatically increase citizen CPR response rates over the long term and help save many lives.

“We are thrilled that CPR will now be mandatory in high schools,” says Sandra Clarke, the ACT Foundation’s Executive Director. “This will ensure the training that we have established in schools through the province will continue over the long term. Students will bring their lifesaving skills to their current and future families, building stronger communities and saving lives.”

The ACT Foundation’s next milestone is working with high schools to add the defibrillator training to the CPR program.

About the ACT Foundation

The ACT Foundation is the national charitable organization that is establishing the free CPR and AED program in Canadian high schools. The program is built on ACT’s award-winning community-based model of partnerships and support. ACT’s Health partners who are committed to bringing the program to Quebec and across Canada are AstraZeneca Canada, Sanofi Canada, and Amgen Canada. To date, the ACT Foundation has set up the CPR Program in more than 1,790 high schools nation-wide, empowering more than 3.9 million youth to save lives.

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Kids as young as 12 should learn CPR

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Ariane Beeston

Children as young as 12 can and should learn CPR, finds a new study.
Children as young as 12 can and should learn CPR, finds a new study. Photo: Shutterstock

Children as young as 12 can – and should – learn CPR, according to a new study, which demonstrates the benefit of targeting first-aid training to younger participants.

The research, which was presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2017, assessed the ability of 160 children, aged, on average, 12 years old, to learn hands-only CPR on adults. The study grew out of a sixth-grade science project completed by lead author Mimi Biswa’s 12-year-old son, Eashan, whose name also appears on the final paper.

See Also

Study participants were divided into three groups, to learn how to perform 100 -120 compressions per minute on adult mannequins. Those in the first group watched a video from the American Heart Association’s CPR in Schools Training Kit. The second group watched the video but also listened to music with a beat matching the goal compression rate, while the third group watched the video and played a video game, which also reinforced the goal compression rate. Eashan created the game himself, using a visual programming language called Scratch coding.

The children then tested out their newly-acquired skills on mannequins.

When they analysed the results, the researchers found that while most students remembered to call emergency services, performed CPR in the correct location and provided “high-quality compressions,” they did observe differences between the three groups. Goal compression rate was higher in the groups who heard music or played video games than those who only watched the official video.

As such, the team believe not only that kids should learn CPR earlier but that “tempo-reinforcing tools” like music and video games may help children attain goal compression rate to perform effective CPR.

“We were wondering why they need to wait until 12th grade when sixth graders have learned the circulation system and seem mature enough and are interested in learning Hands-Only CPR,” said Dr Biswas of the findings.

The results were particularly exciting for Eashan, who hopes to be a doctor. “To go from making a video game to realising he can touch the lives of so many people and save a human life. How important is that?” Dr Biswas said. “It’s more important than any science project.”

Co-author Beth Zeleke added: “CPR is not a skill you acquire once. We have to learn it throughout our lives as clinicians. You need to practice. Teaching kids at a younger age and continuing that, could help create a lifelong skill.”

A 2009 study found that children as young as 9 were able to learn effective CPR skills – and remember them, too. “For at least the 120 days studied, the retention of these skills is good if not better that that of adult learners,” the authors wrote in the paper, published in the journal Critical Care. 

Read more: http://www.essentialkids.com.au/news/current-affairs/kids-as-young-as-12-should-learn-cpr-20171113-gzk2el#ixzz4zCGarSl4
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Digital revolution in pollen counting could save lives

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By Nicholas Osborne

Updated 

Sneezing triggered by sunlightPHOTO: Roughly one in five of us suffer from hay fever, yet pollen counting uses old, analog equipment. (joruba/iStockphoto)

When you see the pollen count on the weather report, do you know it relies on a person manually gathering the information using 1940s technology?

Unlike other environmental monitoring equipment, our pollen-counting method has hardly advanced in the last 70 years.

This is despite 18 per cent of us in Australia and New Zealand suffering allergic rhinitis — what we commonly call “hay fever”.

For most sufferers, hay fever is inconvenient. But for some, pollen can be catastrophic.

Lolium perenne, commonly known as ryegrass, is one of around 800 grass species in Australia.

It was implicated in the devastating thunderstorm asthma event in Melbourne on November 21 last year, which killed nine people and left thousands more seriously ill.

Allergy is a young field of study.

New technologies and availability of large digital data sets should change our understanding of the disease over the next few years.

This is especially true for our interaction with pollen.

Yesterday’s technology

Pollen counting now relies on 1940s clockwork technology: large drums often located on university rooftops with other weather monitoring equipment.

Airborne pollen attaches to a sticky surface as a drum rotates over time, giving a time series of pollen concentrations in the air.

A man checks the spore counter of a pollen stationPHOTO: Pollen counting relies on 1940s clockwork technology. (Supplied: AusPollen)

A technician must manually collect the sticky tape from the drum and count the pollen spores.

Grass pollen is counted as one entity; it is difficult to distinguish genus and species as they look very similar under the microscope.

Lives could be saved first aid course

The Victorian Government has announced $15 million in funding to bring its pollen forecasting up to speed, hoping to better predict large-scale emergencies.

Avoiding thunderstorm asthma


Thunderstorm asthma has claimed several lives. Could we have seen this emergency coming, and what can we do to prepare next time?

Thunderstorm asthma happens when high levels of grass pollens, which can travel hundreds of kilometres, combine with a certain kind of thunderstorm that shatters the pollen into tiny particles inhaled deep into the lungs.

In these situations, even people who don’t usually suffer from asthma can struggle to breathe and require emergency care.

This was the case last year, when the hospital system in Melbourne was overwhelmed by the unexpected event.

But a revolution in how we measure environmental DNA may help here.

YOUTUBE: A guide to thunderstorm asthma.

New techniques

DNA can now be measured in environmental samples, including air, indicating which organisms are present.

This will allow researchers to quickly determine the species of grass and other proteins that may be driving allergies and asthma.

‘National asthma approach needed’

A national health protection agency would have given us a better chance of planning mitigating actions for thunderstorm asthma, writes Professor Guy Marks.

We are yet to realise the potential of digital mapping in pollen monitoring.

Cameras in fields can remotely observe the change in colour of grass, tracking its progress to when it releases pollen.

Satellites can also use infrared imagery to examine the colour of fields to assess grass location, density and pollen release.

Data offers hope

This DNA and satellite data could be fed with existing pollen counts into modelling programs to predict where pollen will end up, given the wind direction and speed.

This information would enable us to warn people with respiratory illnesses when to be prepared with medications and stay indoors.

My colleagues and I recently published a paper looking at the relationship between grass pollen in the atmosphere and hospital admissions in the UK.

Using data from seven years, we found a 4-5 day lag between exposure to pollen and arriving at the emergency department.

By bringing disparate data sets together, we are hoping we can help patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma to manage their diseases, and allow health systems to better plan and manage their resources.

To do this we need data on the genome of grasses, mapping of meteorological events, knowledge of peoples’ movements and behaviours, and health records.

All this is already possible, albeit often bound up in red tape.

Dr Nicholas Osborne is an epidemiologist and toxicologist at the UNSW School of Public Health and Community Medicine.

Check out our upcoming first aid course held at teh parklands hotel. Our dates are akll listed on our website at www.canberrafirstaid.com

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Allergy, intolerance or food sensitivity: what’s the difference?

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One friend complains of a stomach ache if they eat cheese; another’s kid has a life-threatening reaction to peanuts. Both call it an allergy.

The terms allergy and food intolerance are often used interchangeably, but there is a clinical difference between the two.

What’s an allergy?

A food allergy is when someone’s body reacts to a harmless substance with an immune response, explains Mimi Tang, paediatric allergy expert from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

“It’s the immune system recognising an antigen or molecule and thinking it’s harmful when it’s not,” Professor Tang said.

Mild allergic reactions include facial swelling, hives or welts on the skin, stomach cramps and vomiting.

The biggest danger with allergies is the risk of the severe, life-threatening reaction anaphylaxis, which can include breathing difficulties and collapse.

Anaphylaxis explained

What’s the difference between an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis?

People with allergies that put them at risk of anaphylaxis usually have a management plan that might include carrying an adrenaline auto-injector to treat symptoms that can cause death and brain damage.

The foods most likely to cause allergies are peanuts, tree nuts, seafood, egg and milk. While most children grow out of allergies to eggs and milk, allergies to nuts and seafood can be lifelong.

Learn more about anaphylaxis and its treatment in a first aid courses at Dickson or Belconnen.

What’s an intolerance?

A food intolerance doesn’t involve the immune system in the way an allergy does. Rather, it’s when molecules from food react in the body and irritate nerve endings, a bit like a drug side-effect.

An intolerance isn’t going to put your life at risk like an anaphylactic reaction. But they can cause a lot of discomfort and inconvenience, with symptoms including migraines, hives, bowel irritation and mouth ulcers.

Intolerances can be to naturally-occurring chemicals in foods, such as the salicylates found in many fruits and vegetables, or to food additives like colours (even natural colours), preservatives and flavour enhancers.

They can also be dose related, meaning a small amount of the substance doesn’t bother you, but you get a reaction if you eat a lot of them.

“What I say to my patients is to explain it’s different to an allergy. If it’s not an allergy, then it won’t be causing anaphylaxis and they can work out for themselves how much they can tolerate at any one time,” Professor Tang said.

In other words, people with a certain food intolerance may still be able to enjoy that food — just in smaller amounts or less frequently.

It’s worth noting that some food intolerances can look very similar to allergies, because they can target the same system.

Foods high in histamine-releasing compounds, such as stone fruit, citrus and strawberries can trigger what often looks like an allergic reaction, Professor Tang said, “but it’s not because of an allergy, it’s because of molecules in the food that have direct allergy-promoting effects”.

Do you have any food allergies or intolerances? Join the discussion in the comments.

Why is the distinction important?

The level of risk associated with true allergies is why it’s so important to use the right terminology, Professor Tang said.

“The most fundamental change is that allergies can be life-threatening whereas intolerance reactions are generally not life-threatening,” she said.

A 2016 study found that the ABS had recorded 324 anaphylactic deaths between 1997 and 2013, and that the number of deaths had increased over time.

Most of those deaths were due to reactions to medication, followed by food and insect stings and bites.

Young people were most at risk of severe allergic reactions to food, especially nuts.

However, researchers say this figure likely underestimates the real number of fatal cases of anaphylaxis.

“If they have an allergy I would say you should absolutely avoid that food,” Professor Tang said.

“It’s quite a different instruction than for an intolerance.”

How do you diagnose an allergy or intolerance?

Allergies can be diagnosed using a number of tools, including skin prick tests and blood tests.

Skin prick testing involves injecting a tiny amount of a potential allergen into the skin, leading to a red, raised area if a person is allergic to that substance.

Blood tests may be used if there are other factors that make a skin prick test unsuitable, such as a patient who can’t come off antihistamines or is at risk of anaphylaxis.

Intolerances are less straightforward to diagnose as reactions can take many forms. Doctors can work with patients to identify their symptoms, such as migraines or irritable bowel, and help link them to the food that may be the trigger.

Professor Tang said there were dangers in trying to self-diagnose an intolerance.

“How do you know that’s an intolerance? How do you know that’s not an allergy?” she said.

“If someone has reproducible reaction to a food every time they eat that food, it would be a good idea for them to get it assessed by their doctor.”

To learn more about first aid courses please book into one of our great first aid courses at www.canberrafirstaid.com

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Boy, uses first aid training to save father’s life

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Jack Lowis has been hailed a hero for saving his father’s life (Photo: Lisa Lowis)

Valerie Browne 4 hours Thursday November 16th 2017

Nine-year-old Jack Lowis saved his father’s life using first aid skills he’d learned at school, the day before the emergency. A young hero Keith Lowis was eating breakfast with his son last Saturday, when cereal got lodged in his windpipe, choking the father of two.

Jack stayed calm and started patting his dad forcibly on the back, a first aid technique he’d learned the previous day. The brave young boy was just about to call an ambulance when his efforts finally dislodged the food, enabling his father to breath again.

It could happen to anyone Luckily the Lowis family from County Durham could count on Jack – Jack’s mum, Lisa and older-sister, Holly, had left home early for a day trip to Newcastle on the day of the crisis. Mr Lowis was understandably shaken up by the ordeal, but that came secondary to the feeling of pride he felt for his son: “I was so frightened when I started choking, but Jack came in and took over, as calm as anything.” Full of surprises Jack didn’t tell his parents he’d had first aid training specifically in choking from his school, Prince Bishops Primary, in conjunction with St Johns ambulance.

The Tuesday after the incident, Jack nonchalantly stuck the crumpled First Aid certificate on the fridge. “When my wife and I read it, we were amazed.” Said Mr Lowis, “Jack had been taught first aid in assembly the day before I choked. An incredible coincidence.” Putting two and two together The Lowis family put Jack’s miraculous rescue down to his mother being a nurse who’d taught her children general first aid. “It’s been a long time since they’ve had a refresher, so we’re so thankful the school were able to deliver this training that helped save my life.” Said Mr Lowis.

In safe hands Mr Lowis said a few dads call his son “Safe Hands” on account of him being a quick-thinking goalkeeper who plays for Newton Aycliffe Junior Football Club. Following his heroic actions, the nickname has spread far beyond the football pitch. Mr Lowis said: “More and more people are calling him it and it’s certainly very apt.”

Read more at: https://inews.co.uk/essentials/lifestyle/people/nine-year-old-boy-saved-fathers-life-using-first-aid-skills-learned-24-hours-crisis/

Also check our website for upcoming dates and time. www.canberrafirstaid.com

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First-aid training may be made mandatory

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International Road Federation makes suggestion to Transport Ministry

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 13:  

To lower the number of fatalities and injuries due to road accidents, the International Road Federation (IRF) wants to equip more people with first-aid and trauma care knowledge.

The federation has also suggested that such training be made mandatory to obtain a driving licence.

The IRF, which has devised a training module in partnership with an AIIMS team, also wants to train bus and truck drivers. Additionally, it wants to extend to training to employees of petrol pumps and dhabas as well as the public.

India has made a commitment to lower road accidents and fatalities by at least half by 2020. As of now, about 1.5 lakh people die on Indian roads a year, and many more are left severely injured. However, there is a silver lining, albeit small, with India reporting an almost 5 per cent drop in road accident deaths in the first half of 2017.

Trauma care

Explaining the proposed project, IRF Chairman KK Kapila, who has already taken up this proposal with the Ministry of Road Transport, told BusinessLine: “Whenever there are accidents, buses and trucks are likely to pass through the area soon.

“If the drivers are trained, they can provide first-aid and trauma care, apart from moving victims to the nearest hospital, preventing deaths.”

IRF has earlier trained about 12,000 bus and truck drivers across the country, and wants to roll out a similar programme on a wider basis.

Half of the lives lost in road crashes can be saved if the victims get immediate assistance, said Piyush Tewari, CEO, SaveLIFE Foundation, an NGO working in the road safety sector.

“Training citizens in first-aid is crucial and must begin at the age of 13 itself and continue throughout schooling. Trained bystanders can play a game-changing role in saving lives.

“They can inform the authorities after a crash and keep the victim stable through first-aid while waiting for ambulance or alternate transport to hospital.”

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Black cabbies to get life-saving first aid training

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By Joe Finnerty, Digital Motors Editor
14th November 2017, 1:22 pm
Updated: 14th November 2017, 2:57 pm

BLACK cabbies will be given life-saving first-aid training to deal with acid and terror attacks.

Thousands of London taxi drivers will be taught life-saving techniques such as CPR and how to use a defibrillator as part of the Knowledge.

London black cab driver, John Hamilton holds a defibrillator as e-hailing app mytaxi launches its ‘Knowledge+’ programme

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London black cab driver, John Hamilton holds a defibrillator as e-hailing app mytaxi launches its ‘Knowledge+’ programme

The scheme – launched by mytaxi – comes after it was revealed 71 per cent of cabbies have made emergency trips to hospital for passengers with serious medical issues like broken ankles or even strokes.

One driver had to deal with a passenger who was shot in the stomach, and another picked up a young female passenger whose drink had been spiked with a ‘date-rape’ drug.

And dozens of cabbies admitted they’d had to give birth to a child in the back of their taxi.

Nearly a quarter of taxi drivers have come to the aid of the public in a terrorist attack, too.

Black cabs are often first on the scene of incidents in London

GETTY IMAGES – GETTY
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Black cabs are often first on the scene of incidents in London

A driver who witnessed the London Bridge terrorist attack took three girls to safety who had been in the Wheatsheaf pub at the time – and then went back to help others.

St John Ambulance will give first aid training with former head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, Chris Phillips, advising on security training.

A psychologist will also provide body language training, so drivers can put passengers more at ease by reading situations and recognising cues.

Andy Batty, UK General Manager at mytaxi black cab app said: “The Knowledge+ will build on the world’s most respected taxi training course by equipping thousands of London black cab drivers with a series of essential new skills.

“The initiative will have input from health, crisis and body language experts with the ambition of becoming an industry benchmark for training excellence.”

Former head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, Chris Phillips, said: “Threats to the nation’s capital are changing at an unprecedented pace.

“You can pretty much guarantee that whatever incident happens in London, a black cab will be at the scene or nearby. Professionalising their response is a brilliant way to help keep Londoners safe.”

Check our website for upcoming first aid training courses in Canberra. www.canberrafirstaid.com

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Man who fended off shark

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A BRITISH doctor who was attacked by a shark at a NSW beach says he owes surfer Mick Fanning a beer after escaping with a punch to the shark’s head.

Liz Burke@lizeburke

news.com.auNOVEMBER 14, 20177:41AM

Shark hits surfer on NSW Central Coast

A BRITISH doctor who was attacked by a shark at a NSW beach has said he feels “a bit sore” after escaping the attack with a punch to the animal’s head.

Charlie Fry, 25, had been surfing at Avoca Beach on the state’s Central Coast on Monday afternoon when he felt something knock into him.

“I turned to the right and I saw a shark’s head come out of the water with its teeth and I just punched it in the face,” he told Nine News.

“(I) got back on my board, shouted at my friends who were there and then managed to catch a wave in.

“So it was a bit of a close call.”

Speaking on Nine’s Today, Mr Fry said he had been inspired by surfer Mick Fanning when it came to dealing with the “hectic” incident.

Charlie Fry, doctor from the UK who was mauled by a shark on the central coast Picture: Supplied

Charlie Fry, doctor from the UK who was mauled by a shark on the central coast Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

Charlie Fry, doctor from the UK who was mauled by a shark on the central coast Picture: Supplied

Charlie Fry, doctor from the UK who was mauled by a shark on the central coast Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

The new surfer, who only arrived in Australia to work in Central Coast hospital two months ago, said he had seen the YouTube clip of Fanning saying that he had punched a shark, and that was the first thing that came to mind when he came face-to-face with his attacker.

“When it happened, I was like, ‘just do what Mick did, just punch it in the nose’,” he said.

“If you are watching or listening, Mick, I owe you a beer. Thank you very much.”

Mr Fry managed to escape the shark, but emerged from the water with puncture wounds on his upper arm where its teeth had sunk in.

“I didn’t feel the teeth going in, it felt like I was smacked, it felt like a hand, a hand grabbing me, shaking me,” he told Nine.

“It was just pure adrenaline, I genuinely thought I was going to die, like ‘you’re about to be eaten by a shark’, so everything slowed down.”

Mr Fry has only recently arrived in Australia, working at Gosford hospital for about two months.

He told the Daily Telegraph: “I’ve just got here and I’ve already been attacked.”

Mr Fry was taken to Gosford Hospital by his friends where his scratches and wounds were treated and bandaged up.

Police said in a statement his injuries were not serious.

Avoca Beach and neighbouring North Avoca were closed for 24 hours following the incident.

Mr Fry told Today he wouldn’t be rushing back to the surf anyway.

“I probably wouldn’t go to that point for a while. It is called ‘shark tower’ for a reason, so I will probably just go somewhere else,” he said.

“I mean, the surf was rubbish. It wasn’t even worth it.”

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Fear of touching women’s chests may be barrier to giving CPR

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Study finds that women are less likely than men to be treated by bystanders: ‘It can be kind of daunting thinking about pushing hard on a woman’s chest’

Only 39% of women suffering cardiac arrest in a public place were given CPR versus 45% of men, and men were 23% more likely to survive, according to the study.
 Only 39% of women suffering cardiac arrest in a public place were given CPR versus 45% of men, and men were 23% more likely to survive, according to the study. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Associated Press in Anaheim, California

Women are less likely than men to get CPR from a bystander and more likely to die, a new study suggests, and researchers think reluctance to touch a woman’s chest might be one reason.

The study was funded by the Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health and was discussed on Sunday at an American Heart Association conference in Anaheim. It involved nearly 20,000 cases around the country and is the first to examine gender differences in receiving heart help from the public versus professional responders.

Only 39% of women suffering cardiac arrest in a public place were given CPR versus 45% of men, and men were 23% more likely to survive, the study found.

“It can be kind of daunting thinking about pushing hard and fast on the center of a woman’s chest,” said Audrey Blewer, a University of Pennsylvania researcher who led the study.

Rescuers also may worry about moving a woman’s clothing to get better access, or touching breasts to do CPR, said another study leader, Benjamin Abella, who added that doing CPR properly “shouldn’t entail that” as “you put your hands on the sternum, which is the middle of the chest. In theory, you’re touching in between the breasts.”

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops pumping, usually because of a rhythm problem. More than 350,000 Americans each year experience it in settings other than a hospital. About 90% die, but CPR can double or triple survival odds.

“This is not a time to be squeamish because it’s a life and death situation,” Abella said.

Researchers had no information on rescuers or why they may have been less likely to help women. But no gender difference was seen in CPR rates for people who were stricken at home, where a rescuer is more likely to know the person needing help.

The findings suggest that CPR training may need to be improved. Even that may be subtly biased toward males – practice mannequins are usually male torsos, Blewer said.

“All of us are going to have to take a closer look at this” gender issue, said Roger White of the Mayo Clinic, who co-directs the paramedic program for the city of Rochester, Minnesota. He said he had long worried that large breasts may impede proper placement of defibrillator pads if women need a shock to restore normal heart rhythm.

Men did not have a gender advantage in a second study discussed on Sunday. It found the odds of suffering cardiac arrest during or soon after sex are very low, but higher for men than women.

Previous studies have looked at sex and heart attacks, but those are caused by a clot suddenly restricting blood flow and people usually have time to get to a hospital and be treated, said Sumeet Chugh, a cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles. He and other researchers wanted to know how sex affected the odds of cardiac arrest, a different problem that is more often fatal.

They studied records on more than 4,500 cardiac arrests over 13 years in the Portland area. Only 34 were during or within an hour of having sex, and 32 of those were in men. Most already were on medicines for heart conditions, so their risk was elevated to start with.

“It’s a very awkward situation and a very horrifying situation to be one of the two people who survives,” but more would survive if CPR rates were higher, Chugh said.

Results of the studies were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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