Statins may boost survival odds after cardiac arrest
The odds of surviving cardiac arrest seem higher for patients whove been taking cholesterol-lowering statins, a new study shows. Researchers in Taiwan studied the medical records of nearly 138,000 cardiac arrest patients. Those already using statins such as Lipitor (atorvastatin) or Crestor (rosuvastatin) were about 19 percent more likely to survive to hospital admission and 47 percent more likely to be discharged. Also, they were 50 percent more likely to be alive a year later, the study found.
When considering statin use for patients with high cholesterol, the benefit of surviving sudden cardiac arrest should also be considered, as statin use before cardiac arrest might improve outcomes of those patients, said study author Dr. Ping-Hsun Yu.
Yu is a researcher from the National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine in New Taipei City.
The greatest survival benefit from statins was seen in patients with type 2 diabetes, Yus team said. Cardiac arrest is the abrupt loss of heart function. Death often occurs instantly or shortly after symptoms appear, according to the American Heart Association.
We know that a large proportion of cardiac arrests occur due to coronary plaque rupture, said Dr. Puneet Gandotra, director of the cardiac catheterization laboratories at Northwell Health Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, N.Y.
This rupture leads to a snowball effect in arteries and can cause arteries to get blocked, resulting in a heart attack or cardiac arrest, he explained.
So how might statins help?
I feel that due to statin therapy, there is significant plaque stability and the effects of rupture are not as significant.
Thus, an improvement in survival is noticed with patients on statin therapy who have cardiac arrests, Gandotra said.
Statins are often prescribed for patients after a heart attack or stroke as a way to prevent a second cardiovascular event.
HealthDay
