Tropical Medicine & Surgery

Balaji Rajathilakam

Publications

• Research Article
  The Role of Thermal Stress on CHF Admissions in a Tropical Climate
  Author(s): Balaji Rajathilakam, Jeffrey H Luk, Vijay Anand Palaniswamy and John R AllegraBalaji Rajathilakam, Jeffrey H Luk, Vijay Anand Palaniswamy and John R Allegra
  
  Objectives: A previous study of emergency department visits for Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) to hospitals in New Jersey revealed a marked increase in the colder months. This was attributed in part to increased demands on the heart in response to cold weather. We speculated that the extreme high temperatures in the tropics would place a similar additional burden on the heart. Therefore, we hypothesized an increase in the number of hospital admissions for CHF during the warmest months in the tropics. Methods: Design: Retrospective cohort. Setting: Community hospital in Chennai, Southern India. Participants: All patients ages 15 and older admitted to the hospital from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2004. Protocol: We examined all hospital inpatient discharge diagnoses and selected those for CHF. We analyzed the data by month, testing for statistical significance using Chi Square and S.. View More»
  DOI: 10.4172/2329-9088.1000145

  Abstract PDF