... PA1©Copyright2012HealthGrades,Inc.Allrightsreserved.Healthgrades2012TrendsinWomen’sHealthin American HospitalsThe2012HealthgradesTrendsinWomen’sHealthin American HospitalsreportevaluatesthequalityofcareforwomenatU.S.hospitals.Eachyear,Healthgradesevaluatesgender‐specificoutcomesconcerningwomenforcardiovascularcare,boneandjointhealth,maternitycare,andgynecologicsurgery.Womenpresentauniquetreatmentchallengeforthehealthcaresysteminalloftheseareas,whichspanthespectrumofcarethroughoutawomen’slifetime.Womenoftenpresentwithheartconditionsatanolderagethanmenandmaypresentwithnohistoryofthedisease.Inaddition,womenmayhavelessspecificsymptoms ... Amongheartattackpatientsreceivinganintervention,themortalityrateforwomenwas29.1%higherthanformen.HeartDiseaseIsthe#1KillerofWomenAccordingtothe American HeartAssociation,nearlytwiceasmanywomenintheUnitedStatesdieofheartdisease,stroke,andothercardiovasculardiseasesasfromallformsofcancer,includingbreastcancer.1However,only54%ofwomenareawarethatcardiovasculardiseaseistheleadingcauseofdeathamongwomen.5Knowingthatheartdiseaseistheleadingcauseofdeathamongwomen,womenneedtobecomeproactiveaboutpreventingheartdiseaseandunderstandingthesymptomsofaheartattack.Earlyrecognitionofaheartattackenableswomentotakeimmediateaction.Unfortunately,women’sheartattacksymptomsareeasilyconfusedformanyotherconditions–bothbywomenwhomayignoresymptomsandbythemedicalteamtreatingthem.KnowtheSymptomsSymptomsofheartdiseaseandheartattackinwomenoftendonotpresentintraditionalways,addingtothedifficultyofearlyrecognition.Womenmaynothavetheclassic“crushingchestpain”orpainradiatingtothearm.Infact,mostwomensufferingfromaheartattackhavenochestpain.Theirsymptomsaremoresubtle,suchasshortnessofbreathorpalpitations.Awomansufferingfromaheartattackmaycomplainofnotfeelingwellbutmaydisregardthesensationasfatigueorstress.Manywomenexperienceatypicalsymptomspriortoaheartattack,soitisimportanttoknowthatthesymptomsofaheartattackmaynotbeasobviousinwomencomparedtomen.Womenshouldseekpromptmedicalcareiftheyhaveunusualorunexplainedsymptoms.6Thesymptomsofaheartattackarelistedtotheright.Despitethefactthat57.9%ofwomenwhohadaheartattackexperiencedshortnessofbreath,6a2010 American HeartAssociationstudyfoundthatonly29%ofwomensurveyedidentifiedshortnessofbreathasaheartattackwarningsign.5Similarly,while39.4%ofwomenexperiencedindigestionpriortotheirheartattack,6only15%ofwomensurveyedsitednauseaasawarningsign.5KnowYourRiskofCardiovascularDiseaseMajorriskfactorsforcardiovasculardiseasethatcanbeinfluencedbylifestylechoicesinclude: ... Amongheartattackpatientsreceivinganintervention,themortalityrateforwomenwas29.1%higherthanformen.HeartDiseaseIsthe#1KillerofWomenAccordingtothe American HeartAssociation,nearlytwiceasmanywomenintheUnitedStatesdieofheartdisease,stroke,andothercardiovasculardiseasesasfromallformsofcancer,includingbreastcancer.1However,only54%ofwomenareawarethatcardiovasculardiseaseistheleadingcauseofdeathamongwomen.5Knowingthatheartdiseaseistheleadingcauseofdeathamongwomen,womenneedtobecomeproactiveaboutpreventingheartdiseaseandunderstandingthesymptomsofaheartattack.Earlyrecognitionofaheartattackenableswomentotakeimmediateaction.Unfortunately,women’sheartattacksymptomsareeasilyconfusedformanyotherconditions–bothbywomenwhomayignoresymptomsandbythemedicalteamtreatingthem.KnowtheSymptomsSymptomsofheartdiseaseandheartattackinwomenoftendonotpresentintraditionalways,addingtothedifficultyofearlyrecognition.Womenmaynothavetheclassic“crushingchestpain”orpainradiatingtothearm.Infact,mostwomensufferingfromaheartattackhavenochestpain.Theirsymptomsaremoresubtle,suchasshortnessofbreathorpalpitations.Awomansufferingfromaheartattackmaycomplainofnotfeelingwellbutmaydisregardthesensationasfatigueorstress.Manywomenexperienceatypicalsymptomspriortoaheartattack,soitisimportanttoknowthatthesymptomsofaheartattackmaynotbeasobviousinwomencomparedtomen.Womenshouldseekpromptmedicalcareiftheyhaveunusualorunexplainedsymptoms.6Thesymptomsofaheartattackarelistedtotheright.Despitethefactthat57.9%ofwomenwhohadaheartattackexperiencedshortnessofbreath,6a2010 American HeartAssociationstudyfoundthatonly29%ofwomensurveyedidentifiedshortnessofbreathasaheartattackwarningsign.5Similarly,while39.4%ofwomenexperiencedindigestionpriortotheirheartattack,6only15%ofwomensurveyedsitednauseaasawarningsign.5KnowYourRiskofCardiovascularDiseaseMajorriskfactorsforcardiovasculardiseasethatcanbeinfluencedbylifestylechoicesinclude:...