Chest pain secondary to drug use treated in hospital emergency departments in Spain.

OBJECTIVE:To determine the characteristics of patients with chest pain (CP) associated with recent drug use. METHODS:Study of cases from the REUrHE registry attended in the emergency department of 11 Spanish hospitals for CP following recreational drug use. RESULTS:CP accounted for 8.97% of attendances (males 82.9%, p<0.001). Cocaine was present in 70% of cases, followed by cannabis (35.7%) and amphetamines and derivatives (21.4%). The most frequent initial symptoms were: palpitations (45.5%, p<0.001), anxiety (42.5%, p<0.001), hypertension (13.6%, p<0.001) and arrhythmias (5.9%, p<0.001). Patients with TD received more treatment (81.9% vs 74.1%; p<0.001), although they were admitted less (7.6%, p=0.0), with no differences in terms of CPR manoeuvres, sedation, intubation, or admission to intensive care (1.9%). CONCLUSIONS:In CP following acute drug intoxication, cocaine use predominates, although cases of cannabis use are increasing.