[Pre-hospital management of patients with chest pain and/or dyspnoea of cardiac origin.]
Chest pain and acute dyspnoea are frequent causes of emergency medical services activation. The pre-hospital management of these conditions is heterogeneous across different regions of the world and Europe, as a consequence of the variety of emergency medical services and absence of specific practical guidelines. This position paper focuses on the practical aspects of the pre-hospital treatment on board and transfer of patients taken in charge by emergency medical services for chest pain and dyspnoea of suspected cardiac aetiology after the initial assessment and diagnostic work-up. The objective of the paper is to provide guidance, based on evidence, where available, or on experts' opinions, for all emergency medical services' health providers involved in the pre-hospital management of acute cardiovascular care.
Department of Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology and Cardiology Research Units, Caen University Hospital, France.
Farzin
F
Beygui
Department of Emergency Medicine and Services, Helsinki University Hospital and Helsinki University, Finland; Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Stockholm, Sweden.
Maaret
M
Castren
University of Foggia, Italy.
Natale Daniele
ND
Brunetti
Empresa Pública de Emergencias Sanitarias de Andalucía, Spain.
Fernando
F
Rosell-Ortiz
Paracelsus Medical University, Nuremberg, Germany.
Michael
M
Christ
Wir leben Medizin, Klinikum der Stadt Ludwigshafen am Rhein gGmbH, Germany.
Uwe
U
Zeymer
Third Department of Medicine, Cardiology and Emergency Medicine, Wilhelminenhospital, Vienna, Austria.
Kurt
K
Huber
Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark.
Fredrik
F
Folke
Department of Medicine, Centre for Resuscitation Science, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
Leif
L
Svensson
Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares and Department of Cardiology, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain.
Hector
H
Bueno
ISALA Academy, Interventional Cardiology, Zwolle, The Netherlands.
Arnoud
A
Van't Hof
Cardiology Department, Konstantopouleio General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Nikolaos
N
Nikolaou
Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charité, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Medizinische Klinik m.S. Intensivmedizin und Nephrologie, Berlin, Germany.
Lutz
L
Nibbe
Emergency Department, University Hospital of Rangueil, Toulouse, France.
Sandrine
S
Charpentier
Department of Cardiology and Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Sweden.
Eva
E
Swahn
ICCU, Division of Cardiology, San Filippo Neri Hospital, Rome, Italy.
Marco
M
Tubaro
SAMU and Emergency Department, Lille University Hospital, France.
Patrick
P
Goldstein
D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D014187:Transportation of Patients / Q000379:methods