Patients who Die Within Emergency Department: A Descriptive Study

¹Department of Emergency Medicine, Adiyaman University Medical Faculty, Adiyaman-Turkey.

Corresponding Author: Umut Gulacti, Assistant Prof. Adiyaman University Medical Faculty, Department of Emergency Medicine, Adiyaman, Turkey, Tel: +90(535) 585 1900; E-Mail: [email protected]

Received Date: 15 May 2017  
Accepted Date: 31 Jul 2017  
Published Date: 02 Aug 2017

Copyright © 2017 Gulacti U

Citation: Borta T, Gulacti U, Lok U, Aydin I, et al. (2017). Patients who Die Within Emergency Department: A Descriptive Study. Mathews J Emergency Med. 2(2): 026.
 

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The characteristics of patients who die within the Emergency Department (ED) are important in describing its demographics. This study aimed to investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients who died in one particular ED.
 

Method: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted between 01 January 2013 and 31 December 2015 at the Adiyaman University Training and Research Hospital, Turkey. Data were collected from the hospital medical records of all patients who died in the ED. Those aged 50 years and above were then divided into three groups: 50±64 years, 65±74 years, and 75 years and over.
 

Objectives: The characteristics of patients who die within the Emergency Department (ED) are important in describing its demographics. This study aimed to investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients who died in one particular ED.
 

Results: A total of 355 patients who died within the ED were included in study. Their mean age was 57.8 ± 20.5 years (range: 0-114 years), and 53.8% were male. The most common primary complaint was chest pain. Of the patients, most (65.1%) died of cardiac diseases, followed by diseases of the respiratory system (13.5%), and cerebrovascular diseases (4.5%). The most frequent cause of ED deaths was acute myocardial infarction (MI) (n = 202, 56.6%). The highest mortality rate occurred in patients aged at least 50 years (n = 314, 88.5%). In the three distinct groups of patients aged at least 50 years, the highest mortality rate was observed in those aged 75 years and over (n = 156, 44%). Deaths caused by cardiac diseases were the most prevalent in the patients aged 71-80 years, while deaths caused by diseases of the respiratory and cerebrovascular systems were the most prevalent in the patients aged 81-114 years. A total of 58.8% of the patients had at least one chronic disease in their medical history. Recording of the major complaint was incomplete in 70.4% of patients. Conclusions: The highest mortality rate occurred in patients aged at least 50 years, and reached a maximum in those aged 75 years and over. The majority of the deaths within the ED were due to cardiovascular system diseases, and the most common diagnosis was acute MI. Deaths in the ED can be very traumatic for physicians, our study reinforces that the most common causes of death are in line with national statistics.