New study says delay in seeking treatment key reason behind deaths due to acute cardiac events

Delay in seeking proper treatment is the key reason behind a large number of deaths due to acute cardiac events or stroke according to a study published in the LancetThe study conducted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences AIIMS here stated that only a small proportion of patients with cardiac and stroke emergencies reach health facilities early It said addressing the reasons for delays at multiple levels in reaching the facilities could prevent such deathsLack of timely care is a predictor of poor outcomes in acute cardiovascular emergencies including stroke Delayed presentation leads to delay or failure to provide the most beneficial therapies like thrombolysis for myocardial infarctionischemic stroke leading to poorer disease outcomes It is estimated that interventions that reduce delays in care in patients with myocardial infarction MI could decrease risk of mortality by 30 per cent the study funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research ICMR saidThe doctors assessed the presence of delay in seeking appropriate care among those who died due to cardiacstroke emergencies in a community in northern India and identified the reasons and determinants of this delayThis descriptive study was conducted in two out of three tehsils Badkhal and Ballabgarh of Faridabad district of Haryana with an estimated population of 21 lakh in 202021A social audit was conducted among all civilregistered premature 3069 years deaths due to acute cardiac event or stroke in the district The threedelays model was used to qualitatively classify the delays in care seeking deciding to seek care reaching appropriate health facility AHF and initiating definitive treatmentBased on the estimated time from symptom onset to reaching AHF patients were classified as early reached within one hour or delayed arrivers Mixedeffect logistic regression with postal code was used as a random effect to identify determinants of delayed arrival Findings showed that only 108 per cent of the deceased reached an AHF within one hourWe noted level1 delay in 384 per cent 60 per cent due to nonrecognition of seriousness level2 delay in 20 per cent 40 per cent due to going to inappropriate facility and level3 delay in 108 per cent 57 per cent due to lack of affordability the study statedThe primary reason for delay identified in all studies has been lack of awareness of the symptoms related to MI or stroke resulting in nonrecognition of the severity of their illness the study saidAs part of the study 2466 verbal autopsies were assessed of which 761 308 per cent autopsies were classified as due to cardiovascular diseases CVDsThe delays identified in the study pointed to the need for interventions at population and health system levels There have been many health system initiatives in India to reduce delays in cardiac and stroke careThese health system interventions should be supplemented by efforts to create public awareness in recognising symptoms of heart attack and stroke and by improving insurance coverage for these life threatening conditions Community educational campaigns to improve symptom awareness to promote early recognition and careseeking and use of ambulances have been shown to be effectiveTraining of formal and informal primary care providers to recognise these conditions and refer them to an appropriate hospital has also proved useful the study addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever