
Women experiencing sudden cardiac arrest are half as likely to receive bystander CPR than men—putting lives at risk. With International Women’s Day just gone, let’s keep the conversation going and raise awareness to change this.
Key take-home points:
- Women experiencing sudden cardiac arrest are half as likely to receive defibrillation as men.
- Discomfort around exposing and touching breasts, even though timely intervention can be lifesaving, is creating this gap in care.
- Women’s heart symptoms are often more subtle, leading to delays in seeking treatment.
- Heart disease, underdiagnosis, hormonal changes, psychosocial stress, and delay in seeking treatment increases a woman’s risk of sudden cardiac arrest.
- Bystander CPR and defibrillation double survival chances.
- Educating bystanders to act regardless of gender will ensure equitable access to life-saving interventions and help increase survival rates of women.
#WomensHeartHealth #SuddenCardiacArrest #IWD2025 #TakeAction #HeartHealth #AccelerateAction #WomensHealth
https://cellaed.io/articles/accelerating-action-for-women-heart-health-eu