Burden of stroke in Mäori and Pacific peoples of New Zealand
Authors: Feigin VL et al
Summary: This report is an overview of published population-based
stroke incidence studies and other relevant research in the multi-ethnic
New Zealand population, with a particular emphasis on Mäori and Pacific
populations. The researchers highlight the fact that the stroke epidemiology
data are skewed unfavourably towards Mäori and Pacific people
and they call upon health providers to introduce effective measures and
delivery systems with urgency, in order to reverse this trend and improve
Mäori and Pacific people’s health.
Reference: Int J Stroke. 2007;2:208-10
Abstract
Delayed time to defibrillation after inhospital cardiac arrest
Authors: Chan PS et al
Summary: These researchers examined data from 6,789 patients who
had cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular
tachycardia at 369 hospitals participating in the National Registry of
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, to determine the prevalence of delayed
defibrillation (>2 minutes) in the US and its effect on survival. The overall
median time to defibrillation was 1 minute; delayed defibrillation occurred
in 2,045 patients (30.1%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified
the following characteristics as being associated with delayed defibrillation;
Black race, noncardiac admitting diagnosis, and occurrence of
cardiac arrest at a hospital with <250 beds, in an unmonitored hospital
unit, and during after-hours periods (5 p.m. to 8 a.m. or weekends). After
adjusting for differences in patient and hospital characteristics, significantly
fewer patients survived to hospital discharge when defibrillation was
delayed than when it was not (22.2% vs 39.3%). In addition, a graded
association was seen between increasing time to defibrillation and lower
rates of survival to hospital discharge for each minute of delay (p for trend
<0.001).
Reference: N Engl J Med. 2008;358:9-17
Abstract