National Cardiothoracic Centre, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.
Department of Medicine, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.
Ghana Med J. 2024 Sep;58(3):231-238. doi: 10.4314/gmj.v58i3.8.
To assess the clinical presentation and evaluation of acute life-threatening chest pain in Accra, Ghana.
This was a cross-sectional study at the emergency departments of two leading tertiary hospitals in Accra.
The study was conducted at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.
The study participants comprised adult patients aged 18 years and above who presented with acute chest pain at the emergency departments between April and June 2018.
Acute coronary syndrome is the leading life-threatening cause of chest pain with poor pre- and in-hospital care.
232 patients with chest pain were enrolled as respondents aged 18 to 94 years. The prevalence of life-threatening conditions causing chest pain was 31.9% of those who presented with acute chest pain. These included acute coronary syndrome (82.4%), pulmonary embolism (14.9%), and acute chest syndrome (2.7%). A few (6.6%) with life-threatening conditions such as acute coronary syndrome were transported by ambulances, and 44.3% reported to the facility within 2 to 9 days after the onset of chest pain. None of the patients with pulmonary embolism and acute chest syndrome had computer tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) and echocardiogram done, respectively.
Our study found that life-threatening conditions amongst patients presenting with acute chest pains are common; however, there is a need to improve pre-hospital care and in-hospital assessment of these cases.
The study was partly funded by the Medtronic Foundation.
评估加纳阿克拉急性危及生命胸痛的临床表现和评估。
这是在阿克拉两家领先的三级医院急诊科进行的一项横断面研究。
该研究在科勒布教学医院和阿克拉 37 军医院进行。
研究参与者包括 2018 年 4 月至 6 月期间在急诊科就诊的 18 岁及以上患有急性胸痛的成年患者。
急性冠状动脉综合征是导致胸痛的主要危及生命的原因，其院前和院内护理较差。
共有 232 名胸痛患者作为年龄在 18 至 94 岁的受访者被纳入研究。在因急性胸痛就诊的患者中，危及生命的胸痛原因的患病率为 31.9%。这些包括急性冠状动脉综合征（82.4%）、肺栓塞（14.9%）和急性胸痛综合征（2.7%）。少数（6.6%）有危及生命的情况，如急性冠状动脉综合征，由救护车运送，44.3%在胸痛发作后 2 至 9 天内到医院就诊。没有肺栓塞和急性胸痛综合征患者分别进行计算机断层肺动脉造影（CTPA）和超声心动图检查。
我们的研究发现，患有急性胸痛的患者中危及生命的情况很常见；然而，需要改善这些病例的院前护理和院内评估。
该研究部分由美敦力基金会资助。
