The New England journal of medicine
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Differences between blacks and whites have been reported in the incidence of several forms of cardiovascular disease, including hypertension and stroke. We examined racial differences in the incidence of cardiac arrest in a large urban population and in subsequent survival. ⋯ The black community in our study was at higher risk for cardiac arrest and subsequent death than the white community, even after we controlled for other variables.
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Previous studies have found racial differences in the use of invasive cardiovascular procedures, which may be due in part to the greater financial incentives to perform such procedures in white patients. In Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, direct financial incentives affecting use of the procedures are minimized for both patients and physicians. ⋯ Even when financial incentives are absent, whites are more likely than blacks to undergo invasive cardiac procedures. These findings suggest that social or clinical factors affect the use of these procedures in blacks and whites.