Gender Bias in Heart Transplants?
Published at(NEW YORK) — Today’s “Men versus Women” story comes from the world of medicine.
A new study indicates women in the U.S. have a higher chance of dying while awaiting a heart transplant than men, and part of the reason may be unfairness in the heart allocation system.
The study published in the journal JACC: Heart Failure looked at more than 28,000 adults on the waiting list for donor hearts from 2000-2010, and ranked the patients according to their health when they were added to the list.
Patients were ranked in three categories: 1A for most urgent in need of a transplant; 1B for those slightly more stable; and Class 2 for the most healthy.
The study found that women ranked 1A had worse chances of survival compared to men because they were less likely to receive a heart transplant.
Why? The authors believe women may be less likely than men to be “bridged” with a ventricular assist device known as a VAD machine or an artificial heart until a transplant was available. The authors note that there was no information available to indicate why this is the case.
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio