Emergency conditions in cardiology and reasons for admission to the cardiology emergency department

Introduction: Emergency conditions in cardiology refer to situations that indicate an immediate, life-threatening risk to the patient. Suspected urgent cardiovascular conditions are the most common reason for exams in emergency departments, with patients often presenting unnecessarily or being inadequately referred and triaged. Objective: To identify the most common emergency conditions that lead to patient referrals to the cardiology outpatient clinic, the mode of arrival, and the proportion of hospitalized patients in relation to the referring diagnosis. Material and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted by analyzing the medical records of 418 patients (157 female and 261 male) referred to the emergency cardiology outpatient clinic of the Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases of Vojvodina. Data on patient demographics, referral diagnoses, pre-hospital care, management in the outpatient clinic, vital parameters, and hospitalization rates were analyzed. Results: The most common diagnosis in the emergency cardiology clinic was arterial hypertension, with 1.01% of hospitalized patients being referred for it. The most common diagnosis for hospitalization was myocardial infarction. Congestive heart failure occurs more frequently in individuals aged ≥65 years. Patients with diagnoses of myocardial infarction, unstable angina, pulmonary edema, and respiratory insufficiency usually arrive via emergency medical services, while patients with chest pain of uncertain origin and arterial hypertension mostly come by their own transportation. Conclusion: A higher number of men visited the emergency cardiology outpatient clinic compared to women. The most common diagnosis in the emergency cardiology outpatient clinic was arterial hypertension. Most patients presenting to the outpatient clinic were aged 65 or older.