despite previous reports New research finds weekend survival rates no different to weekday In brief Researchers praise effectiveness of specialist 24/7 cardiac arrest teams They caution that the weekend effect does apply to some other heart problems People admitted to NHS hospitals with a cardiac arrest over the weekend do not face a higher risk of dying compared to those admitted during the week – despite previous reports suggesting they could, a new study finds. Researchers looked at survival rates for people suffering a cardiac arrest and being treated in an NHS hospital and found there were no differences for those admitted on the weekend. This is a modal window. “No matter which day of the week someone goes to hospital with a cardiac arrest, they have the same chance of survival, and that should be hugely reassuring to the public,” said Dr Rahul Potluri, of Aston University. “No matter which day of the week someone goes to hospital with a cardiac arrest, they have the same chance of survival,” Rahul Potluri While the weekend effect doesn’t apply to cardiac arrests, it does apply to other heart problems, he cautioned. The new study follows separate research which suggests there is a ‘weekend effect’ for people going to hospital with heart failure or atrial fibrillation, the most common type of abnormal heart rhythm. Dr Potluri says cardiac arrest patients appear to benefit from specialist NHS cardiac arrest teams, who work 24 hours a day, all year round. Not ‘blanket phenomenon’ “By no means is the ‘weekend effect’ a blanket phenomenon. But we know that it does exist for people affected by other heart conditions. It’s therefore important to tease out who is affected by the weekend effect through research in order to ensure that specialist healthcare services are delivered when and where they are needed most,” said Dr Potluri. He led the study, which investigated 4,803 people and will be presented today at the British Cardiovascular Society conference in Manchester. Professor Metin Avkiran, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation added: “This is a success story, and shows the life saving importance of specialist teams working in the NHS.” Cardiac arrest A cardiac arrest happens when an electrical fault in the heart occurs, causing it to suddenly stop pumping blood round the body. The chances of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are around one in 10, but with swiftly-administered CPR and the use of a defibrillator, a huge difference can be made to the chances of survival. A cardiac arrest is a medical emergency and statistics show that for every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation, a person’s chance of survival decreases by around 10 per cent, he said. “If you see someone who has suddenly collapsed and is unresponsive, it is vital that you call 999 and start administering CPR immediately to increase their chances of survival. When the emergency services arrive, you can rest assured that you’ve done your bit and the specialists are ready and waiting to take over,” he added. Source
