RÉSUMÉ
Objectives: To document the medicines taken by patients, with chest pain reporting to the cardiac emergency room, and to determine the role of patients and health care providers to deal with cardiac emergency
Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease [NICVD] Karachi from June 01 to September 2007. Patients with chest pain were taken detailed history and were especially asked for the medicines taken by them prior to presenting at NICVD after which they were treated as per routine. A predesigned proforma was used to record the data
Results: The study subjects had a male ratio of 64:36, from various occupations and socio-economic strata. The patients who came by ambulance were 100 [15%], and the medications were used by only 152 [22.9%]. This was the first visit to cardiac emergency of 403 [60.8%] patients. One hundred fifty-three [23%] patients were referred, 67 [10.1%] transferred, and 443 [66.8%] came directly because of their symptoms. 283 [42.7%] patients had visited another doctor before coming to NICVD
Conclusion: The number of male patients with chest pain reporting to cardiac emergency was more; a vast majority did not have access to ambulance and did not take emergency measures. In majority of cases, other health care providers did not advise to take some medicine in emergency