[Cardiovascular diseases in the Viennese emergency medical service in the year 1986]

Information about the acute and emergency care of patients with cardiovascular diseases in Vienna up to now has been sparse. We used the routine data of the Vienna Doctors' Chamber's central deputizing service to throw light upon the diagnostic situation and at the method of management at the start of acute and emergency care in these patients. The most frequent disease visited was angina, followed by hypertension, cardiac failure, paroxysmal tachycardia and hypertensive crisis. The suspicion of coronary infarction (mostly before ECG) follows as the sixth in line. The patient's condition is more frequently described in terms of symptoms before the visit than after the visit. Diagnostic information at the telephone fails completely only in single cases which stay below statistical significance. An improvement in the author's opinion could only be attained by standardized telephone assessment and cooperation with patients. If a visit needs acceleration, it is mostly ordered as a blue light, most accelerated, visit, which happens in 9% of all visits. In over 50% of blue light visits cars are on their way in the first 10 minutes after the phone call.