Heart Attack Treatment Deaths Higher in Women

People who suffer a heart attack are often treated by catheter to clear the coronary artery blockage. Following such treatment — called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) — the mortality rate in the next 30 days for women is nearly double the rate seen in men, according to a new report.

People who suffer a heart attack are often treated by catheter to clear the coronary artery blockage. Following such treatment — called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) — the mortality rate in the next 30 days for women is nearly double the rate seen in men, according to a new report. However, differences between male and female patients in age and other variables account for most of the gender gap in mortality. The findings are based on a study of 1032 patients who underwent PCI at one center, reported by Dr. Hon-Kan Yip, from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in the medical journal Chest. The rate of successful coronary clearance in men and women was nearly the same, about 84 percent. Despite this, 30-day mortality in men was 7.4 percent and in women, 14.6 percent. Nevertheless, the authors note that a number of factors, other than gender, may have contributed to the higher mortality in women. The women were older, meaning they were more likely to succumb than men. In addition, hypertension, diabetes, and other complicating conditions were more common in women than men. These factors explained the difference in death rates between men and women. The researchers conclude that “although a gender gap indeed existed between men and women with (heart attack) in the present study, this gap may have only been an apparent one, and not truly related to gender alone.” (SOURCE: Chest: Reuters Health News: July 2004.)