June-Sung Kim1, Dong Woo Seo1, Youn-Jung Kim1, Seok In Hong1, Hyunggoo Kang2, Su Jin Kim3, Kap Su Han3, Sung Woo Lee3, Sungwoo Moon4, Won Young Kim1. 1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul 05505, Korea. 2. Department of Emergency Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul 04763, Korea. 3. Department of Emergency Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul 02841, Korea. 4. Department of Emergency Medicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital, Ansan 15355, Korea.
Abstract
(1) Background: The emergency department provides lifesaving treatment and has become an entry point to hospital admission. The purpose of our study was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients who were admitted through the emergency department to the intensive care unit or general ward. (2) Methods: We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive analysis using the National Emergency Department Information System, analyzing patient data including disease category, diagnosis, and mortality from 1 January 2016, to 31 December 2018. (3) Results: During the study period, about 13.6% were admitted through the emergency department. Of these, the overall in-hospital mortality was 4.6%. The frequent disease class for the intensive care unit admissions was the cardiovascular system, and the classes for the general ward admissions were as follows: injury and toxicology, digestive system, and respiratory system. Cardiovascular system-related emergencies were the predominant cause of death among patients admitted to the intensive care unit; however, oncologic complications were the leading cause of death in the general ward. (4) Conclusions: Emergency departments are incrementally utilized as the entry point for hospital admission. Health care providers need to understand emergency department admission epidemiology and prepare for managing patients with certain common diagnoses.
(1) Background: The emergency department provides lifesaving treatment and has become an entry point to hospital admission. The purpose of our study was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients who were admitted through the emergency department to the intensive care unit or general ward. (2) Methods: We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive analysis using the National Emergency Department Information System, analyzing patient data including disease category, diagnosis, and mortality from 1 January 2016, to 31 December 2018. (3) Results: During the study period, about 13.6% were admitted through the emergency department. Of these, the overall in-hospital mortality was 4.6%. The frequent disease class for the intensive care unit admissions was the cardiovascular system, and the classes for the general ward admissions were as follows: injury and toxicology, digestive system, and respiratory system. Cardiovascular system-related emergencies were the predominant cause of death among patients admitted to the intensive care unit; however, oncologic complications were the leading cause of death in the general ward. (4) Conclusions: Emergency departments are incrementally utilized as the entry point for hospital admission. Health care providers need to understand emergency department admission epidemiology and prepare for managing patients with certain common diagnoses.
Authors: Márton Koch; Csaba Varga; Viktor Soós; Lilla Prenek; Lili Porcsa; Alíz Szakáll; Gergely Bilics; Balázs Hunka; Szabolcs Bellyei; János Girán; István Kiss; Éva Pozsgai Journal: BMC Emerg Med Date: 2022-06-23