Your odds of surviving a cardiac arrest long enough to be admitted to the hospital are lower on the weekend than on a weekday. For one study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 3,000 patients worldwide who suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and were treated with a publicly accessible automated external defibrillator (AED). Overall, 27 percent of the patients survived to hospital admission, a rate that matches previous studies.

But those whose cardiac arrest occurred between 12 a.m. Saturday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday were about 20 percent less likely to survive to hospital admission than those who were stricken between Monday and Friday. The odds were also lower for older patients and those whose cardiac arrest occurred at home, the findings showed.

Weekend survival odds may be lower because people could be less likely to be near a publicly accessible AED, and others may not witness the event, the study authors suggested.