Clinico-Epidemiological Profile of Patients Presenting with Acute Chest Discomfort at Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern Rajasthan, India: A Prospective Observational Study
Authors/Creators
- 1. Assistant Professor, Department of Cardiology, Geetanjali Medical College & Hospital Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Description
Background: Acute chest discomfort is a common presenting complaint in the patients in emergency clinic. The knowledge of clinical presentation, risk factors and point of care investigations for precise diagnosis helps in prioritizing emergent patients providing better care and optimal utilization of resources. There is a paucity of studies related to clinico-epidemiological profile of patients with acute chest discomfort in our population. We planned this study to address the knowledge gap in this field. Methods: A prospective observational study of patients presenting with acute chest discomfort was conducted in the emergency unit of our tertiary care hospital. We included adults above the age of 18 years from December 2022 to December 2023 and excluded trauma patients. A standardized form was used to document patient demographic patterns, comorbidities, chest discomfort description, physical findings, investigations, consultations, emergency management, and disposition. Variables having p-value ≤ 0.05 were considered to be significant. Results: A total of 385 patients were included. The most common cause of chest discomfort was cardiac, accounting for 40.5% of patients. Majority of patients presented within 6 to 24 hours making early diagnosis and treatment possible. Echocardiography proved useful in diagnosing cardiac and pulmonary diseases, most of which (60.5%) required hospitalisation. Patients with musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal and psychiatric factors were mostly discharged (38.2%) from emergency unit. Conclusion: ACS followed by respiratory causes are the predominant etiologies of acute chest discomfort in the emergency unit. Knowledge of the differential diagnosis of acute chest discomfort can aid in prompt diagnosis and delivery of life saving treatment to these patients.
Abstract (English)
Background: Acute chest discomfort is a common presenting complaint in the patients in emergency clinic. The knowledge of clinical presentation, risk factors and point of care investigations for precise diagnosis helps in prioritizing emergent patients providing better care and optimal utilization of resources. There is a paucity of studies related to clinico-epidemiological profile of patients with acute chest discomfort in our population. We planned this study to address the knowledge gap in this field. Methods: A prospective observational study of patients presenting with acute chest discomfort was conducted in the emergency unit of our tertiary care hospital. We included adults above the age of 18 years from December 2022 to December 2023 and excluded trauma patients. A standardized form was used to document patient demographic patterns, comorbidities, chest discomfort description, physical findings, investigations, consultations, emergency management, and disposition. Variables having p-value ≤ 0.05 were considered to be significant. Results: A total of 385 patients were included. The most common cause of chest discomfort was cardiac, accounting for 40.5% of patients. Majority of patients presented within 6 to 24 hours making early diagnosis and treatment possible. Echocardiography proved useful in diagnosing cardiac and pulmonary diseases, most of which (60.5%) required hospitalisation. Patients with musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal and psychiatric factors were mostly discharged (38.2%) from emergency unit. Conclusion: ACS followed by respiratory causes are the predominant etiologies of acute chest discomfort in the emergency unit. Knowledge of the differential diagnosis of acute chest discomfort can aid in prompt diagnosis and delivery of life saving treatment to these patients.
Files
IJPCR,Vol16,Issue5,Article403.pdf
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Additional details
Dates
- Accepted
-
2024-04-26
Software
- Repository URL
- https://impactfactor.org/PDF/IJPCR/16/IJPCR,Vol16,Issue5,Article403.pdf
- Development Status
- Active
References
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