Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.3325/cmj.2023.64.16 4
The impact of earthquakes on the frequency and prognosis of the most common emergency cardiac conditions
Zdravko Babić
orcid.org/0000-0002-7060-8375
; Department of Cardiology, Sestre Milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia
*
Marin Pavlov
orcid.org/0000-0003-3962-2774
; Department of Cardiology Dubrava University Hospital, Zagreb, Croati
Petra Radić
; Department of Cardiology, Sestre Milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia
Josica Šikić
; Department of Cardiology, Sveti Duh University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
Edvard Galić
; Department of Cardiology, Sveti Duh University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
Diana Balenović
; Department of Cardiology, Dr. Ivo Pedišić General Hospital, Sisak, Croatia
Tomislav Letilović
; Department of Cardiology, Merkur University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
Davor Horvat
; Department of Cardiology, Karlovac General Hospital, Karlovac, Croatia
Luka Perčin
; Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Dubravka Šipuš
orcid.org/0000-0002-5631-0353
; Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Valentina Obadić
; Department of Cardiology, Merkur University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
Davor Miličić
; Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Aim To assess whether the number of patients with a car
-
diac chief complaint and their characteristics differed be
-
tween before and after two major earthquakes that struck
Croatia in 2020.
Methods We collected data on all visits of patients with a
cardiac chief complaint examined in the emergency de
-
partments of six hospitals nearest to the epicenters. Pa
-
tients seen during the 7 days before the earthquake were
compared with those seen on the day and during the 6
days after the earthquake.
Results Patients seen after the earthquake were young
-
er (68 [59-79] vs 72.5 [65-80];
P
<0.001) and less frequently
had cardiovascular disease (32.9% vs 42.8%;
P
<0.001). This
group less frequently had the primary diagnosis of acute
myocardial infarction (AMI) (15.6% vs 21.9%;
P
=0.005),
heart failure (9.3% vs 19.4%;
P
<0.001), dysregulated hyper
-
tension (13.9% vs 19.4%;
P
=0.01), but more frequently had
non-anginal chest discomfort (28.8% vs 18.0%;
P
<0.001).
In a subgroup analysis of patients seen in hospitals lo
-
cated within 20 km from the epicenter, significantly more
patients seen after the earthquake compared with those
seen before the earthquake presented with AMI (14.5% vs
22.8%;
P
=0.028), acute elevation of blood pressure (10% vs
21.8%,
P
=0.001), and paroxysmal arrhythmias treated with
electrocardioversion (0.9% vs 4.5%,
P
=0.022).
Conclusion After two moderately strong earthquakes,
hospitals within 20 km from the epicenter saw a signifi
-
cant increase in acute cardiac conditions such as elevated
blood pressure, AMI, and cardioverted arrhythmias. Even
-
tually, these earthquakes had no impact on the outcomes
of the studied population.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
331525
URI
Publication date:
30.6.2023.
Visits: 282 *