Dominic Dellweg, Georg Nilius, Achim Gr��newaldt, Andreas G��nther, Matthias Held, Martin Hetzel, Andreas Schlesinger, Robin Schlott, Georgios Sofianos, Markus Unnewehr, Thomas Voshaar, Winfried Randerath
Martin Hetzel: Innere Medizin - Pneumologie, Klinikum Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Deutschland.
Andreas Schlesinger: St. Marien Hospital K��ln Klinik f��r Innere Medizin, Pneumologie, Schlaf- und Beatmungsmedizin, Stiftung der Cellitinnen e.V., K��ln, Deutschland.
Robin Schlott: Klinik f��r Innere Medizin, Pneumologie und Gastroenterologie, Pius-Hospital Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Deutschland.
Acute dyspnoea is one of the most common internal medicine symptoms in the emergency department. It arises from an acute illness or from the exacerbation of a chronic illness. Symptom-related emergency structures and corresponding structural guidelines already exist in the stroke and chest pain units for dealing with the leading symptoms of acute stroke and acute chest pain. These are lacking in Germany for the key symptom of dyspnoea, although the benefits of these structures have already been proven in other countries. The German Society for Pneumology and Respiratory Medicine (DGP) has now set up a task force together with the Association of Pneumology Clinics (VPK), in order to deal with the topic and develop appropriate structural guidelines for such "dyspnoea units" in Germany. At the end of the process, the certification of such units at German hospitals is optional.
