Gender bias in giving CPR

WOMEN are less likely than men to get CPR from a bystander and more likely to die, a new study suggests, and researchers think reluctance to touch a woman’s chest might be one reason.

Only 39 per cent of women suffering cardiac arrest in a public place were given CPR versus 45 per cent of men, and men were 23 per cent more likely to survive, the study found.

It involved nearly 20,000 cases around the US and is the first to examine gender differences in receiving help.

“It can be kind of daunting thinking about pushing hard and fast on the centre of a woman’s chest” and some people may fear they are hurting her, said Audrey Blewer, a University of Pennsylvania researcher who led the study. Rescuers also may worry about moving a woman’s clothing to get better access, or touching breasts to do CPR, but doing it properly “shouldn’t entail that,” said another study leader, Dr Benjamin Abella.

“You put your hands on the sternum, which is the middle of the chest. In theory, you’re touching in between the breasts,” he said. “This is not a time to be squeamish because it’s a life and death situation.”