[Cardiovascular emergencies--endocrine and metabolic crises. Practical hints for the physician in emergency service]

50% of hospitalized medical emergency cases are cardiological and respiratory emergencies. Myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock, ventricular arrhythmias and left ventricular failure often cause sudden death occurring within 1 or 2 hours. Therefore immediate management is necessary already in the prehospital phase of cardiovascular events. This does also apply for acute respiratory failure due to obstructive ventilatory disorders. Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease frequently are masked and may be misinterpreted as encephalopathy or alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Sedation may be dangerous. Also neuroglucopenic syndrome and hyperosmolar coma are occasionally interpreted wrongly. Thyrotoxic crisis, adrenal crisis and hypercalcemia are characterized by lethargy, mental disturbance and weakness, by dehydration, myopathy, nausea, constipation, diarrhea or tenesms or arrhythmias. In this situation of varied symptoms the most important action is to think of endocrine emergency, which may have multiple etiologies.