Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Emergencies at the Cardiology Department of the Ignace Deen University of Conakry

Introduction: Cardiovascular emergencies are pathologies, whether coronary, haemodynamic, rhythmic or of any other origin, occurring in an emergency context and constituting an immediate and constant vital threat. Our objective in this study was to determine the epidemiological aspects of cardiovascular emergencies in the cardiology department of the Ignace Deen National Hospital. Methods: This was a longitudinal descriptive study conducted from 1 January to 30 June 2024 in the cardiology department of the Ignace Deen National Hospital, including all patients admitted in a cardiovascular emergency and who consented to participate in the study.. Results: Out of 349 patients admitted to the department during this period, we recorded 127 cases of cardiovascular emergency, representing a frequency of 36.4%. The age group most affected was between 65 and 74, with an average age of 57 and extremes of 19 and 91. 43.3% of patients required more than six days for treatment, 22% between four and six days, 21.3% between two and four days, and only 2.4% arrived within twelve hours of the onset of symptoms. The most common cardiovascular emergencies were acute heart failure (30.7%), hypertensive emergencies (15%), acute ST+ coronary syndromes (15%), stroke (8.6%), cardiogenic shock (7%), acute ST- coronary syndromes (7%) and pulmonary embolism (8.6%). The first emergency therapeutic measures were oxygen therapy (61%), fluid depletion (53%), administration of vasoactive amines (16%), external electric shock (11%), parenteral anti-hypertensive treatment (8.6%), thrombolysis (3.9%) and coronary angioplasty (1.6%). The outcome was favourable in 76% of patients and unfavourable in 24%. Conclusion: Cardiovascular emergencies are a real public health problem because of their high frequency and the complexity of their clinical presentations. Heart failure and hypertensive emergencies are on the increase in developing countries because of the multiplicity of cardiovascular risk factors.