Older heart attack patients are more likely to experience care delays than their younger counterparts, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
For the study, researchers analyzed data on 2,500 patients 75 years and older hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction compiled during a previous study conducted from January 2013 to June 2017. Researchers compared care results among this population to previous studies conducted with younger heart attack patients.
Older patients experienced pre-hospital care delays — defined as taking six or more hours to get to the hospital — 42 percent of the time. Younger patients experienced delays 20 percent to 25 percent of the time. Additionally, older adults who were not white, demonstrated atypical symptoms or had heart failure were more likely to experience delays.
"Delays in presentation can have huge consequences for older adults with heart attacks," said Gregory Ouellet, MD, a physician in the geriatrics department at Yale New Haven (Conn.) Hospital and one of the study's authors. "Based on the results of our study, we need to develop better clinical and public health strategies to ensure timely presentation, especially among non-white communities, those with atypical symptoms, and those with heart failure."
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