Comparison of vital parameters of employees of intensive cardiac care unit during work and rest – pilot study

    Authors

    Keywords

    occupational stress, intensive cardiac care unit, cardiovascular risk

    DOI

    https://doi.org/10.15836/ccar2022.284

    Full Text

    Introduction: Working in emergency and intensive care is one of the most common occupations that face high levels of occupational stress, which has been shown to have a major impact on the development of early cardiovascular disease. Prolonged exposure to stressors at work increases cardiovascular risk (CVR) ( 1 , 2 ). The aim of this research is to determine, by measuring vital parameters, whether there is a certain influence of professional stressors on the increase in arterial pressure and pulse and on pathological variations in the electrocardiogram record of health personnel working in intensive cardiac care unit. Participants and Methods: Observational case control study conducted on adult health professionals aged 18-65 years, both sexes, working in the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit of the Sestre Milosrdnice University Hospital Centre. Duration of the research was 4 months. Results: In the total sample of 17 respondents, the female gender predominated with a share of 70.6%. The average systolic pressure was 128.47 mmHg (standard deviation, SD 8.70), while the average diastolic pressure was 82.65 mmHg (SD 7.31). There was a trend of increasing pressure during the working night (2.57%, SD 6.01), and a decreasing trend during non-working nights (-12.42%, SD 4.55). By comparing diastolic pressure during working and non-working 24 hours, a statistically significant difference was observed with an average value of 8.18 mmHg (p<0.001) increasing during work. By comparing systolic pressure during working and non-working 24 hours, a statistically significant difference was observed with an average value of 7.18 mmHg (p<0.001) increasing during work. In addition, statistical significance was observed in the average difference in the number of QRS, minimum frequency and pressure changes during the night by comparing working and non-working hours all increasing during work ( Table 1 ). Conclusion: The research proved the adverse impact of professional stressors on the cardiovascular system of intensive cardiac care unit employees, which increases their cardiovascular risk profile in the long term. It would be desirable to conduct a larger multicenter study with a larger number of respondents, including a larger number of doctors, and a longer follow-up time that would confirm the results of this study.

    Cardiologia Croatica
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    Comparison of vital parameters of employees of intensive cardiac care unit during work and rest – pilot study

    Extended Abstract
    Issue9-10
    Published
    Pages284-285
    PDF via DOIhttps://doi.org/10.15836/ccar2022.284
    occupational stress
    intensive cardiac care unit
    cardiovascular risk

    Authors

    Marija Grebenar*ORCIDUniversity of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
    Petra RadićORCIDSestre Milosrdnice University Hospital Centre, Zagreb, Croatia
    Ivo Darko GrabićORCIDSestre Milosrdnice University Hospital Centre, Zagreb, Croatia
    Zdravko BabićORCIDUniversity of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Full Text

    Introduction: Working in emergency and intensive care is one of the most common occupations that face high levels of occupational stress, which has been shown to have a major impact on the development of early cardiovascular disease. Prolonged exposure to stressors at work increases cardiovascular risk (CVR) ( 1 , 2 ). The aim of this research is to determine, by measuring vital parameters, whether there is a certain influence of professional stressors on the increase in arterial pressure and pulse and on pathological variations in the electrocardiogram record of health personnel working in intensive cardiac care unit. Participants and Methods: Observational case control study conducted on adult health professionals aged 18-65 years, both sexes, working in the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit of the Sestre Milosrdnice University Hospital Centre. Duration of the research was 4 months. Results: In the total sample of 17 respondents, the female gender predominated with a share of 70.6%. The average systolic pressure was 128.47 mmHg (standard deviation, SD 8.70), while the average diastolic pressure was 82.65 mmHg (SD 7.31). There was a trend of increasing pressure during the working night (2.57%, SD 6.01), and a decreasing trend during non-working nights (-12.42%, SD 4.55). By comparing diastolic pressure during working and non-working 24 hours, a statistically significant difference was observed with an average value of 8.18 mmHg (p<0.001) increasing during work. By comparing systolic pressure during working and non-working 24 hours, a statistically significant difference was observed with an average value of 7.18 mmHg (p<0.001) increasing during work. In addition, statistical significance was observed in the average difference in the number of QRS, minimum frequency and pressure changes during the night by comparing working and non-working hours all increasing during work ( Table 1 ). Conclusion: The research proved the adverse impact of professional stressors on the cardiovascular system of intensive cardiac care unit employees, which increases their cardiovascular risk profile in the long term. It would be desirable to conduct a larger multicenter study with a larger number of respondents, including a larger number of doctors, and a longer follow-up time that would confirm the results of this study.