[Inequality in the management of ischemic chest pain in the emergency department from a gender perspective].

OBJECTIVE

Sex is a determining factor in the differences with which men and women are treated in the emergency room. The objective was to analyze the profile in patients with chest paint attended in emergency department, and the gender inequalities in the diagnosis and treatment.

METHODS

Descriptive observational study of patients, who attended to the Miguel Servet University Hospital emergency department, with ischemic chest pain during 2017. Sociodemographic and clinical variables of treatment and evolution were analyzed. Bivariate and multivariate analysis was performed through the statistical program SPSS.

RESULTS

351 cases were registered (235 men and 116 women). The women were older (median age 75.5 years, against, 71.4 years in men, p=0.003), went to the hospital during summer time (p=0.021) and took most often of benzodiazepines (p=0.001), antidepressants (p<0.001) and diuretics drugs (p=0.039). The women had greater proportion of arterial hypertension (p=0.001). The men came more to the emergency department during autumn period (p=0.008), and had more history of ischemic heart disease (p=0.003) and percutaneous coronary intervention (p<0.001). The time of completion of the first electrocardiogram was greater in women (p<0.001), and were diagnosed with a higher frequency of atypical chest pain (p=0.003), unlike men, more diagnosed of acute coronary syndrome (p=0.028) and subjected to invasive treatment (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

There are differences according to sex in the antecedents, delay in performing the first electrocardiogram and use of invasive treatment. Its consideration from the emergency department, without influence of value judgments and with the determination of values disaggregated by sex, can improve the attention and evolution of these patients.