Background: Dyspnoea is one of the most common reasons for patients contacting emergency medical services (EMS). Pre-hospital Emergency Nurses (PENs) are independently responsible for advanced care and to meet thesepatients individual needs. Patients with dyspnoea constitute a complex group, with multiple different final diagnoses and with a high risk of death. This study aimed to describe on-scene factors associated with an increased risk of a time-sensitive final diagnosis and the risk of death.

Methods: A retrospective observational study including patients aged ≥16 years, presenting mainly with dyspnoea was conducted. Patients were identified thorough an EMS database, and were assessed by PENs in the southwestern part of Sweden during January to December 2017. Of 7260 missions (9% of all primary missions), 6354 were included. Among those, 4587 patients were randomly selected in conjunction with adjusting for uniquepatients with single occasions. Data were manually collected through both EMS- and hospital records and final diagnoses were determined through the final diagnoses verified in hospital records. Analysis was performed usingmultiple logistic regression and multiple imputations.

Results: Among all unique patients with dyspnoea as the main symptom, 13% had a time-sensitive final diagnosis. The three most frequent final time-sensitive diagnoses were cardiac diseases (4.1% of all diagnoses), infectious/inflammatory diseases (2.6%), and vascular diseases (2.4%). A history of hypertension, renal disease, symptoms of pain, abnormal respiratory rate, impaired consciousness, a pathologic ECG and a short delay until call for EMS were associated with an increased risk of a time-sensitive final diagnosis. Among patients with time-sensitive diagnoses, approximately 27% died within 30 days. Increasing age, a history of renal disease, cancer, low systolic bloodpressures, impaired consciousness and abnormal body temperature were associated with an increased risk of death.

Conclusions: Among patients with dyspnoea as the main symptom, age, previous medical history, deviating vital signs, ECG pattern, symptoms of pain, and a short delay until call for EMS are important factors to consider in the prehospital assessment of the combined risk of either having a time-sensitive diagnosis or death.