ArticleBMC pulmonary medicine2017
Breathlessness and presentation to the emergency department: a survey and clinical record review.
Article in BMC pulmonary medicine, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05479929 (Work of Breathing Assessment in Triage Scale), which is not on this map. Cited by 54 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Work of Breathing Assessment in Triage Scale
Who cites it
54 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Supplemental oxygen for symptomatic relief in people with serious respiratory illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2025Pooled it
- Opioids for the palliation of symptoms in people with serious respiratory illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2024Pooled it
- Multicomponent services for symptoms in serious respiratory illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2024Pooled it
- Motivations and experiences of patients with respiratory disease and their caregivers in a multinational trial of mirtazapine for severe breathlessness: a qualitative study (BETTER-B).BMC pulmonary medicine · 2025Trial
- Investigating a structured diagnostic approach for chronic breathlessness in primary care: a mixed-methods feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial.BMJ open respiratory research · 2025Trial
- Oral modified release morphine for breathlessness in chronic heart failure: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.ESC heart failure · 2019Trial
- Prevalence and impacts of breathlessness in South Africa: an exploratory, cross-sectional population study.Journal of global health · 2026Article
- Perspectives of primary care and community clinicians on chronic breathlessness management.ERJ open research · 2026Article
- "We need to accept our limited resources": a qualitative study exploring ambulance clinicians' experiences of working conditions when caring for patients with breathlessness.BMC emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Ethnic differences in healthcare utilisation and diagnosis after first presentation with breathlessness: a retrospective cohort study using UK primary care records.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2026Article
- A Personalized, Home-Based, Multidisciplinary Outpatient Clinic for Managing Breathlessness in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Protocol for a Single-Arm, Mixed-Methods Cohort Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- "Breathlessness stops me doing everything": exploring the impact of chronic breathlessness due to advanced respiratory disease and exacerbating factors - a qualitative study.ERJ open research · 2026Article
- Interventions for unpaid carers of people living with breathlessness due to chronic respiratory diseases: Scoping review.Palliative & supportive care · 2026Article
- An educational intervention for unpaid/family carers of patients with breathlessness in advanced disease: developing a web-based resource.BMC digital health · 2026Article
- Diminishing activities of daily living as severity of chronic breathlessness worsens: a national, cross-sectional survey.BMJ open respiratory research · 2025Article
- Article
- Don't ask, don't tell (DADT): under-recognition of breathlessness in clinical care-a national survey.BMJ open respiratory research · 2025Article
- Managing breathlessness for people with advanced respiratory disease.ERJ open research · 2025Review
- Breathlessness intensity recorded in general practice is associated with shorter times to unplanned hospital admissions and longer lengths of stay: a UK cohort study.BMJ open respiratory research · 2025Article
- "I'm living in a 'no' world now…"- A qualitative study of the widespread impact of living with chronic breathlessness, and experiences of identification and assessment of this symptom in an older, frail community-based population.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBreathlessness is a frequently occurring symptom of cardiorespiratory conditions and is a common cause of emergency department presentation. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of acute-on-chronic breathlessness as a cause for presentation to the major emergencies area of the emergency department.
methodsA prospective patient self-report survey and clinical record review of consecutive attendees to the major emergencies area of the emergency department in a single tertiary hospital between 12/5/14 and 29/5/14 was conducted. Eligible patients were clinically stable and had mental capacity to provide data.
resultsThere were 2,041 presentations during the study period, of whom 1,345 (66%) were eligible. There was a 90% survey response rate (1,212/1,345); 424/1,212 (35%) self-reported breathlessness most days over the past month of whom 245 gave breathlessness as a reason for this presentation. Therefore, the prevalence of acute-on-chronic breathlessness as a reason to present to the major emergencies area was 20.2% (245/1,212, 95% CI 17.9% to 22.5%). During this period there were 4,692 major and minor presentations; breathlessness was therefore a cause of at least 5.2% (245/4,692, 95% CI 4.6 to 5.9%) of all emergency department presentations.
conclusionsThis study found that one in five ambulance presentations to the ED were due to acute-on-chronic breathlessness. Most patients had non-malignant underlying conditions, had experienced considerable breathlessness for an extended period, had discussed breathlessness with their GP and presented out of daytime hours. Others were often involved in their decision to present. This represents clinically significant burden for patients, their family carers and the emergency health services.
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