Tag: Ottawa Heart Institute

Survey: how women (and our doctors) respond to early cardiac symptoms

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 9 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas    ♥   @HeartSisters

I have often written and spoken out about an alarming reality observed among women experiencing their first cardiac symptoms. Researchers call it “treatment-seeking delay behaviour”. One of several interesting studies on this particular tendency in female heart patients was published in The American Journal of Critical Care, for example. Oregon researchers reported that female heart patients are significantly more likely to delay seeking medical treatment compared to our male counterparts – yes, even in mid-heart attack. In fact, study authors identified six common patterns of decision-making delays between the time women first experience serious cardiac symptoms and the time when they go for help.(1)  Those six patterns range from “minimizing symptoms” to “reluctance to ask others for help”.

But just in case these studies seem to suggest that women are to blame for poor cardiac outcomes because we wait too long, let’s look at how prepared our physicians are to assess cardiovascular risks in their female patients. The landmark Women’s Heart Alliance survey asked both female heart patients and physicians for their own perspectives – with surprising results, especially this particular finding:

Physicians may not feel as prepared as you think.      .

Continue reading “Survey: how women (and our doctors) respond to early cardiac symptoms” →

Will this $840,000 grant make a dent in women’s cardiac care?

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 4 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas    ♥  @HeartSisters

In an article published this week in the Ottawa Citizen, we learned some encouraging predictions about the future of women’s cardiac care here in Canada – and beyond.  Award-winning health/science journalist Elizabeth Payne explained the news in her August 30th article called “New Ottawa-Based Initiative Aims to Close Heart Health Gender Gap“.  In case you missed it, here’s what she wrote: (The NOTES below in italics are my own questions and comments):

Elizabeth Payne (EP):  “Years after researchers, health professionals and advocates began working to reduce it, the gender gap in women’s heart health persists. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, but their cardiovascular symptoms are still not always recognized and women’s heart attacks continue to get missed.”   Continue reading “Will this $840,000 grant make a dent in women’s cardiac care?” →

Hello pacers! A little Q&A about your pacemaker

~ Carolyn Thomas ~ 178 Comments

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥  @HeartSisters

Here at Heart Sisters World Headquarters, I’m often contacted by readers with impertinent questions like: “Why don’t you ever write about ______?” (insert your own specific diagnosis here). One in particular was a 2015 reader question that read: “Why don’t you ever write about congenital heart defects?” On that particular morning, I was feeling tired, sick and “grumpy” (as our little Everly Rose calls every feeling she has that’s not happy). I wanted to snap back at this reader that I’m not running the Encyclopedia Britannica here. . .

But in a remarkable coincidence – and luckily before I had a chance to snap – on that very day, another reader named Aletha happened to share with me her own amazing story as an adult living with a heart condition she’d had since birth. That weekend, I ran my first ever blog post about this cardiac condition, called “When babies with congenital heart defects grow up“. 

And recently, a similar reader contact reminded me that I’ve never covered the topic of cardiac pacemakers – until now. Continue reading “Hello pacers! A little Q&A about your pacemaker” →