Ladies First? Not Always, At Least When It Comes to Cardiac Emergency Treatment.

You pick -- the long version or the short. The long version is an eight-page article from the most recent issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes titled "Elapsed Time in Emergency Medical Services for Patients With Cardiac Complaints: Are Some Patients at Greater Risk for Delay?" Tufts researchers looked...

By Robert Wilonsky

January 27, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

You pick -- the long version or the short. The long version is an eight-page article from the most recent issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes titled "Elapsed Time in Emergency Medical Services for Patients With Cardiac Complaints: Are Some Patients at Greater Risk for Delay?" Tufts researchers looked exclusively at Dallas County in 2004 -- some 5,887 patients "with suspected cardiac-related symptoms" in all.

And they concluded: Yes, some patients are at greater risk for delay. Who? Women. Why? Says The New York Times' summary this morning: "Other studies have suggested that heart problems in women are not recognized as readily by medical personnel."

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.