Emergency Conditions in Cardiology and Reasons for Admission to the Cardiology Outpatient Clinic

Abstract

 Introduction: Cardiological emergencies are conditions that signify the immediate vital endangerment of the patient. Cardiovascular conditions represent one of the most common and serious emergencies. They often go unrecognized because symptoms can be vague or insufficiently specific.

 Aim: Identification of the most common emergency conditions that are the reason for referring patients to the cardiology outpatient clinic, the way of arrival, and the proportion of hospitalized patients relative to the referral diagnosis.

 Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted by analyzing the medical documentation of 418 patients (157 females, 261 males) admitted to the Admission Cardiology Clinic at the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases of Vojvodina from January 1st to January 15th, 2023. Data on demographic characteristics, referral diagnoses, prehospital care methods, vital status upon examination, treatment, vital parameters, and hospitalization were analyzed.

 Results: Myocardial infarction (MI) was the most common diagnosis among hospitalized patients. It has been proven that congestive heart failure occurs more frequently in individuals aged 65 and older. MI, acute pulmonary edema, respiratory insufficiency, and unspecified chest pain cases arrive via emergency medical services, while cases of hypertension primarily arrive by self-transport. Most patients were treated at the Admission Cardiology Clinic.

 Conclusion: A greater number of males present at the admission cardiology outpatient clinic compared to females. The most common diagnosis in the Admission Cardiology Outpatient Clinic was hypertension. The majority of patients presented to the Admission Cardiology Outpatient Clinic with a hospital referral. The majority of patients who presented to the Admission Cardiology Outpatient Clinic were 65 years of age or older.