Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, accounting for 1 in 5 female deaths. Heart disease is a major risk factor for Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), making women particularly vulnerable to death from a cardiac event. Every year, approximately 350,000 people in the United States experience SCA outside of a healthcare setting. SCA is the third leading cause of death in the United States.
Anyone can experience SCA, however, high-risk factors include:
- History of heart diseases like CAD
- Valvular Diseases
- Congential Heart Diseases
- Lifestyle and nutrition factors
Death can follow SCA within minutes if life-saving interventions like CPR or an AED are not provided quickly and precisely. In fact, even with immediate intervention from bystander CPR or an AED following an Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA), only 5 percent of OHCA victims survive. Systemic inequities, implicit biases regarding the gender and race of the victim, and the wide range of symptoms experienced by women during a cardiac event make them especially vulnerable to poor health outcomes and death following SCA and OHCA.
Heart Disease in Louisiana
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Louisiana and a major risk factor for cardiac arrest in the state. Lousiana has the 5th highest death rate from cardiovascular disease in the United States. Mortality rates from heart disease are higher for women living in Louisiana than in any other state. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both Black and white Louisianans, however, overall rates of death from heart disease are higher for Black Louisianans than for white Louisianans and higher for Black Louisianans than for Black Americans living in other states. Black women aged 35 years and older have three times the risk of death following a cardiac event as white women.
Bias Awareness and CPR Skills Education 