Delay in Seeking Med Care Causes 55% Heart Attack Deaths in India

New Delhi: Around 55 per cent of deaths related to cardiac arrest or heart attack in India is due to delays in seeking proper medical care, informed the first community-based study published in the journal Lancet.

This study was conducted jointly by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi. It revealed that only a small number of patients with cardiac and stroke emergencies reach health facilities in time.

The findings showed only 10.8 per cent of the deceased reached an appropriate health facility within one hour. Delay in reaching medical facility leads to delay or failure to provide the most beneficial therapies like thrombolysis for myocardial infarction/ischemic stroke leading to poorer disease outcomes.

This study estimated that timely medical intervention in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) could decrease risk of mortality by 30 per cent.

The major reason behind the delay in approaching medical help is the inability to recognise the severity of the illness and financial constraints. The study was conducted in two out of three tehsils (Badkhal and Ballabgarh) of the Faridabad district of Haryana.