Women heart patients ‘failed’

Women admitted to hospital with heart failure are less likely to receive the recommended investigations and treatment, researchers claim.

A UK-based team say that although improvements have been made in heart failure management there are still shortcomings.

Writing in the journal Heart they argue that many male and female patients admitted to acute hospitals in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are not being managed fully in accordance with international-based guidelines.

But their study found that women seem to be the less well-managed sex.

The researchers studied data from nearly 10,000 patients with heart failure who were admitted to emergency care in 2005.

Among the shortcomings were deaths from heart failure remaining high; only 14 per cent of patients being transferred to the care of a heart specialist.

Women were found to be significantly less likely to have undergone the recommended investigations or been given recommended heart failure treatment.

With the exception of diuretics, women were also significantly less likely to be given treatment to prevent worsening of their heart failure when they left hospital.

The researchers argue that “significant and sustained” efforts are needed to deal with gender inequalities in heart care.

“Whereas [heart attack], angina and arrhythmia services have clearly defined targets and have been the focus for sustained investment, heart failure still appears to be regarded as a Cinderella subspecialty, despite its ubiquitous nature,” they conclude.