Half of sudden cardiac arrest patients recently visited their GP
Patients may be feeling unwell days ahead of the unexpected event, researchers say
More than half the patients who experience a sudden cardiac arrest visit or contact their GP in the two weeks prior, probably “feeling unwell” in the lead up to the event, Danish researchers report.
Their findings show 54% of those who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest seek help from their GP in the fortnight beforehand.
This compares with 14% of matched controls, in the findings presented at the virtual European Society of Cardiology congress (ESC 2020) held in late August.
Study author Dr Nertila Zylyftari of Copenhagen University Hospital Herlev and Gentofte, Hellerup said it was challenging to identify those most at risk of these sudden, unexpected events.
