<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><bold>Background:</bold> Cardiac arrhythmias and conduction abnormalities are frequently identified by emergency medical service staff in patients requesting emergency services.<bold>Methods:</bold> We conducted a prospective observational study that aimed to analyze the characteristics of rhythm and conduction abnormalities in prehospital settings, in patients who requested emergency medical assistance for symptoms indicative for an arrhythmia or conduction abnormalities.<bold>Results:</bold> From 180 patients included in the study (90 from a tertiary and 90 from a non-tertiary medical center), 92.78% presented an arrhythmia and 15.56% a conduction abnormality. A clear etiology was found in only 29.44% of cases. Ischemic patients presented a higher rate of atrial fibrillation (AF) (p &lt;0.0001), while sinus tachycardia was more common in non-ischemic subjects (p = 0.02). Patients younger than 50 years of age presented higher rates of sinus tachycardia (p &lt;0.0001) and right bundle branch block (p = 0.001), while those older than 50 years presented higher rates of AF (p &lt;0.0001) and ventricular extrasystole (p = 0.014). There were no differences regarding the type of arrhythmia diagnosed in emergency settings, neither between genders or provenance environments, nor between regions served by a tertiary versus non-tertiary base station hospital.<bold>Conclusions:</bold> The most frequently diagnosed arrhythmias in prehospital settings were atrial fibrillation and sinus tachycardia, while atrioventricular blocks were the most frequent conduction disturbances. Young patients more frequently present sinus tachycardia or right bundle branch blocks, while older subjects are more prone to develop ischemia-related AF and ventricular extrasystole. The lack of any significant differences between systems served by a tertiary vs. non-tertiary medical center indicates an efficient emergency system of care regardless of the geographical region.</abstract>

Background: Cardiac arrhythmias and conduction abnormalities are frequently identified by emergency medical service staff in patients requesting emergency services.Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study that aimed to analyze the characteristics of rhythm and conduction abnormalities in prehospital settings, in patients who requested emergency medical assistance for symptoms indicative for an arrhythmia or conduction abnormalities.Results: From 180 patients included in the study (90 from a tertiary and 90 from a non-tertiary medical center), 92.78% presented an arrhythmia and 15.56% a conduction abnormality. A clear etiology was found in only 29.44% of cases. Ischemic patients presented a higher rate of atrial fibrillation (AF) (p <0.0001), while sinus tachycardia was more common in non-ischemic subjects (p = 0.02). Patients younger than 50 years of age presented higher rates of sinus tachycardia (p <0.0001) and right bundle branch block (p = 0.001), while those older than 50 years presented higher rates of AF (p <0.0001) and ventricular extrasystole (p = 0.014). There were no differences regarding the type of arrhythmia diagnosed in emergency settings, neither between genders or provenance environments, nor between regions served by a tertiary versus non-tertiary base station hospital.Conclusions: The most frequently diagnosed arrhythmias in prehospital settings were atrial fibrillation and sinus tachycardia, while atrioventricular blocks were the most frequent conduction disturbances. Young patients more frequently present sinus tachycardia or right bundle branch blocks, while older subjects are more prone to develop ischemia-related AF and ventricular extrasystole. The lack of any significant differences between systems served by a tertiary vs. non-tertiary medical center indicates an efficient emergency system of care regardless of the geographical region.

Characteristics of Cardiac Rhythm and Conduction Abnormalities Diagnosed in Mobile Emergency Units in Central Romania

Clinic of Pediatrics 2, Department of Pediatric Cardiology

“Octavian Fodor” Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Intensive Care

“Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy

Journal of Cardiovascular Emergencies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Background: Cardiac arrhythmias and conduction abnormalities are frequently identified by emergency medical service staff in patients requesting emergency...

Characteristics of Cardiac Rhythm and Conduction Abnormalities Diagnosed in Mobile Emergency Units in Central Romania

Published Online: Jan 11, 2018

Page range: 172 - 180

Received: Sep 10, 2017

Accepted: Nov 15, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jce-2017-0025

Keywords
rhythm and conduction abnormalities, mobile emergency units, prehospital ECG, tertiary and non-tertiary hospital

© 2017 Aurelian Lucian Masalar et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Characteristics of Cardiac Rhythm and Conduction Abnormalities Diagnosed in Mobile Emergency Units in Central Romania

Published Online: Jan 11, 2018

Page range: 172 - 180

Received: Sep 10, 2017

Accepted: Nov 15, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jce-2017-0025

Keywordsrhythm and conduction abnormalities, mobile emergency units, prehospital ECG, tertiary and non-tertiary hospital

© 2017 Aurelian Lucian Masalar et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
rhythm and conduction abnormalities, mobile emergency units, prehospital ECG, tertiary and non-tertiary hospital