Temporal Trends and Autopsy Correlates of Duty-Related Cardiac Death in Firefighters

Dr. Susan ChengChair of the Department of Cardiology

“It's possible that national firefighter health guidelines need to be updated to include screening for excess heart muscle mass. It's not clear why firefighters appear to be at risk for this condition, and so we need to learn more through additional research.”

“Our research shows there may be a blind spot when it comes to routine heart screenings for firefighters in the U.S. Identifying heart conditions when they can be treated is key to addressing these new findings.”

“This trend suggests that prevention of on-duty cardiac death has not kept pace with other domains of firefighter safety. This work builds on prior research reporting that cardiac events are a major cause of death for firefighters. We plan to continue our study of firefighter health risks to inform prevention efforts.”