Hospital Best Place to Survive A Cardiac Arrest??? -

January 3, 2008 - This news brief is a little off topic but it's important for people to realize they are in charge of their own health. As you get older you'll realize Your Health Is Your Wealth. Just because you're in the hospital doesn't mean you'll get treated quickly if your heart stops beating. About one-third of patients don't get a potentially live-saving shock within the recommended two minutes, a new study published today (1/3/2008)in the New England Journal of Medicine found. Those who don't get prompt defibrillation are more likely to die or end up brain-damaged or disabled, the study showed. For every minute of delay, the chances of survival worsen. "It is probably fair to say that most patients assume -- unfortunately, incorrectly -- that a hospital would be the best place to survive a cardiac arrest," Dr. Leslie A. Saxon, a cardiologist at the University of Southern California, wrote in an editorial in the journal. (" Hospitals often miss deadline to restart stopped heart" by Stephanie Nano, The Associated Press, The News & Observer, 1/3/2008)