Chandigarh: In a communication to the Union ministry of health and family welfare, PGI has submitted its findings on the dedicated cardiac emergency unit opened five months ago. Describing how timely medical attention drastically reduced mortality rate among patients, PGI called for recognition and standardisation of the cardiac triage model.
The dedicated cardiac emergency service unit, working independently of the general emergency department, was established nearly five months ago.
According to data between March 9 and July 29, over this period, the unit managed 3,049 emergency cardiac patients exclusively, achieving a remarkably low mortality rate of just 0.5% (16 total deaths). This successfully diverted emergency traffic away from the main hospital facility and freed vital resources for non-cardiac critical care.
Nearly half of all incoming cases – 1,513 patients, representing 49.6% of the total -were managed conservatively on an outpatient basis and discharged directly from triage, preventing unnecessary hospital bed occupancy.
The dedicated cardiac emergency unit maintained a low mortality rate of 0.5% despite a sharp rise in patient load, with weekly footfall more than doubling between March and July 2026.
Higher-acuity cases were escalated swiftly, with 1,108 patients, or 36.3% of the total volume, shifted directly to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) for advanced care. Another 30 patients were admitted to the heart command emergency for evaluation and stabilisation, while 85 patients were routed directly to specialty cardiology or cardiovascular and thoracic surgery OPDs.
The unit also acted as an effective diagnostic filter, redirecting 298 patients, or 9.8% of cases, to the main Nehru Hospital emergency after non-cardiac conditions were identified. Patient footfall rose steadily from around 100 patients a week in March to over 200 a week by July, peaking at 233 patients.
