Table 2.
Diagnoses of 1833 callers to OHS-PC with shortness of breath, stratified by NTS urgency level
| Total n = 1833 |
High NTS urgency level n = 766 (41.8%) |
Low NTS urgency level n = 1067 (58.2%) |
p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life-threatening events | ||||
| Cardiovascular disorders | ||||
| Acute coronary syndrome | 13 (0.7%) | 8 (1.0%) | 5 (0.5%) | 0.166 |
| Acute heart failure | 47 (2.6%) | 30 (3.9%) | 17 (1.6%) | 0.002 |
| Respiratory tract disorders | ||||
| Severe asthma exacerbation | 11 (0.6%) | 6 (0.8%) | 5 (0.5%) | 0.542 |
| Severe COPD exacerbation | 38 (2.1%) | 26 (3.4%) | 12 (1.1%) | < 0.001 |
| Severe COVID-19 infection | 110 (6.0%) | 56 (7.3%) | 54 (5.1%) | 0.045 |
| Severe pneumonia | 34 (1.9%) | 23 (3.0%) | 11 (1.0%) | 0.002 |
| Other disorders | ||||
| Anaphylaxis | 14 (0.8%) | 1 (0.1%) | 13 (1.2%) | 0.011 |
| Pulmonary embolism | 16 (0.9%) | 6 (0.8%) | 10 (0.9%) | 0.804 |
| Sepsis | 10 (0.5%) | 7 (0.9%) | 3 (0.3%) | 0.070 |
| Other life-threatening events (LTEs)* | 12 (0.7%) | 7 (0.9%) | 5 (0.5%) | 0.256 |
| Non-urgent disorders | ||||
| Cardiovascular disorders | ||||
| Stable heart failure | 39 (2.1%) | 14 (1.8%) | 25 (2.3%) | 0.451 |
| Respiratory tract disorders | ||||
| Mild or moderate asthma exacerbation | 117 (6.4%) | 39 (5.1%) | 78 (7.3%) | 0.055 |
| Mild or moderate COPD exacerbation | 94 (5.1%) | 57 (7.4%) | 37 (3.5%) | < 0.001 |
| Mild or moderate COVID-19 infection** | 387 (21.1%) | 141 (18.4%) | 246 (23.1%) | 0.016 |
| Mild or moderate pneumonia | 80 (4.4%) | 37 (4.8%) | 43 (4.0%) | 0.408 |
| Upper respiratory tract infection | 103 (5.6%) | 26 (3.4%) | 77 (7.2%) | < 0.001 |
| Other disorders | ||||
| Hyperventilation/anxiety/stress | 136 (7.4%) | 41 (5.4%) | 95 (8.9%) | 0.004 |
| Shortness of breath due to (existing) cancer | 34 (1.9%) | 19 (2.5%) | 15 (1.4%) | 0.093 |
| Unspecified chest pain*** | 85 (4.6%) | 43 (5.6%) | 42 (3.9%) | 0.092 |
| Unspecified shortness of breath*** | 208 (11.3%) | 63 (8.2%) | 145 (13.6%) | < 0.001 |
| Other non-urgent disorders**** | 245 (13.4%) | 116 (15.1%) | 129 (12.1%) | 0.058 |
LTE life-threatening event, OHS-PC out-of-hours primary care
*transient ischaemic attack, stroke, pneumothorax, subcutaneous emphysema, gastro-intestinal bleeding, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, perforated diverticulitis, respiratory insufficiency due to reduced consciousness, severe anaemia
**Proven (most cases) and suspected COVID-19 infections
**Cardiac pathology unlikely after cardiologist’s or GP’s diagnostic work-up, including those with musculoskeletal chest pain
***Cardiac or pulmonary pathology unlikely after cardiologist’s, pulmonologists, or GP’s diagnostic work-up
****Amongst others: atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter, gastro-oesophageal reflux, costal contusion/fracture, bronchitis or bronchial hyperreactivity, shortness of breath due to terminal phase, hay fever