PGIMER cardiac triage unit treats 3,049 patients in under five months

A specialized cardiac triage unit at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has treated 3,049 patients in less than five months since its inception. This new cardiac emergency service, launched on March 9 at the Advanced Cardiac Centre’s Heart Command, aims to reduce the burden on the main emergency unit at Nehru Hospital and provide quicker access to specialized cardiac care.

As of July 29, the Cardiology Triage Unit assessed 3,049 patients, with 1,108 (36.3%) being transferred directly to the Coronary Care Unit, and 1,513 (49.6%) being stabilized and discharged on the same day. Only 30 patients (1%) required short-stay admission at the Heart Command, while 298 (9.8%) were redirected to Nehru Hospital Emergency due to non-cardiac conditions, and 85 (2.8%) were sent directly to the Cardiology or Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery outpatient departments.

The unit recorded 16 deaths, resulting in a mortality rate of 0.5%. It performed 26 primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures for patients needing emergency coronary treatment. Patient flow increased steadily, starting at around 100 patients per week in March, crossing 200 by July, with an average weekly attendance of 152 patients.

The cardiac triage model was designed to separate cardiac emergencies from the broader emergency workload at Nehru Hospital, allowing cardiology specialists to assess patients upon arrival. This initiative, led by Professor of Cardiology Dr. Rajesh Vijayvergiya, suggests that the model could be adopted in other high-volume tertiary-care hospitals to address the growing burden of cardiovascular emergencies and alleviate pressure on emergency departments in major government hospitals.