A new research from the Harvard Medical School suggests better citywide strategies for medical transportation routes during large gatherings and sporting events. The study found out that those who suffer cardiac arrest of heart attacks while running a marathon are most likely going to die within a month because they weren't brought to the hospital on time. The major reason is the street closures during these events that make it difficult for medical teams to transport patients.
The Harvard Medical School research published in the "New England Journal of Medicine" recommends ensuring unhampered road access for medical crews during parades, sport events, and public gatherings, Eureka Alert reported. According to Harvard Medical School's Health Care Policy Ruth L. Newhouse Associate Professor Anupam Jena, research in the past focused on the availability of medical services during the race, but this is the first time that as study has been conducted focusing on the long term effects of the marathon on the runners. The study also includes the effects of these marathons to the people who live nearby the location where the event was held.
People who live near the location where the big events are being held are affected since the routes to the hospital are congested due to the road closures for the race. The study found that the elderly at an average of 77 were greatly affected by this situation. The study found that patients who were brought to the hospital due to cardiac emergency during the marathon had significantly higher 30-day mortality rates, Harvard Business Review reported.
The researchers studied 10 years' worth of records from older Americans. These records involve patients of heart attacks living near major marathon events from 11 different cities in America. The researchers compared patients hospitalized during the event and those who were hospitalized five weeks after the marathon.
