Factors associated with serious abdominal conditions in geriatric patients visiting the emergency department
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Dadeh A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10809639 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundUnfavorable outcomes occur in patients with acute abdominal pain who visit the emergency department (ED). We aimed to determine the factors associated with unfavorable outcomes in patients with acute abdominal pain visiting the ED.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study was conducted from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. The inclusion criterion was patients aged older than 18 years who presented to the ED with acute abdominal pain. Significant factors associated with unfavorable outcomes were examined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.ResultsA total of 951 patients were included in the study. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the ED length of stay (EDLOS) > 4 h (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.62, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.33-5.14; p = 0.005), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) < 80 mmHg (AOR 3.31, 95% CI: 1.71-6.4; p ≤ 0.001), respiratory rate ≥ 24 breaths/min (AOR 2.03, 95% CI: 1.07-3.86; p ≤ 0.031), right lower quadrant (RLQ) tenderness (AOR 3.72, 95% CI: 1.89-7.32; p ≤ 0.001), abdominal distension (AOR 2.91, 95% CI: 1.29-6.57; p = 0.010), hypoactive bowel sounds (AOR 2.89, 95% CI: 1.09-7.67; p = 0.033), presence of specific abdominal signs (AOR 2.07, 95% CI: 1.1-3.88; p = 0.024), white blood cell count ≥ 12,000 cells/mm3 (AOR 2.37, 95% CI: 1.22-4.6; p = 0.011), and absolute neutrophil count (ANC) > 75% (AOR 2.83, 95% CI: 1.39-5.75; p = 0.004) were revealed as significant factors associated with unfavorable outcomes.ConclusionsThe present study revealed that the significant clinical signs associated with the occurrence of unfavorable outcomes were DBP < 80 mmHg, tachypnea (≥ 24 breaths/min), RLQ tenderness, abdominal distension, hypoactive bowel sounds, and presence of specific abdominal signs. Moreover, the associated laboratory results identified in this study were leukocytosis and ANC > 75%. Additionally, patients with abdominal pain visiting the ED who had an EDLOS longer than 4 h were associated with unfavorable outcomes.
| S-EPMC9727909 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The aim of this study is to detect the possible reasons of abdominal pain in the patients aged 65 and older admitted to emergency department (ED) with complaint of abdominal pain which is not related to trauma, to determine the length of hospitalization of old (65-75 age) and elderly (aged 75 and older) patients, and to define the hospitalization and mortality rates.In the study, 336 patients were included. Groups were compared in respect to gender, internal or surgical prediagnoses, complaints accompanying abdominal pain, vital findings, comorbidities, requested consultations, hospitalizing service, waiting time in the ED and in the hospital, and treatment methods.Of the patients, 48.2% were male, and 51.8% were female. While 52.4% of the patients were in 65-74 age group, 47.6% of them were aged 75 years and above. An internal disease was detected in 76.8% of the patients as an origin of abdominal pain. Most common prediagnoses were biliary diseases and diseases related to biliary tract followed by nonspecific abdominal pain, abdominal pain secondary to malignity, ileus, and acute gastroenteritis, respectively. The most frequent finding accompanying abdominal pain was vomiting. The most frequent chronic disease accompanying abdominal pain was hypertension in both age groups. We observed that 75.9% of the patients required consultation. We detected that 48.8% of the patients with abdominal pain were hospitalized and they were hospitalized mostly by gastroenterology ward (24.8%). Surgical treatments were applied to the 17.6% of the patients with abdominal pain.Clinical findings become indistinct by age, and differential diagnosis of abdominal pain gets more difficult in geriatric patients. Therefore, physicians should consider age related physiological changes in order to distinguish geriatric patients admitted to emergency service with abdominal pain from pathological cases requiring immediate surgical operation.
| S-EPMC5998168 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceDiagnostic delays are common in the emergency department (ED) and may predispose to worse outcomes.ObjectiveTo evaluate the association of annual pediatric volume in the ED with delayed diagnosis.Design, setting, and participantsThis retrospective cohort study included all children younger than 18 years treated at 954 EDs in 8 states with a first-time diagnosis of any of 23 acute, serious conditions: bacterial meningitis, compartment syndrome, complicated pneumonia, craniospinal abscess, deep neck infection, ectopic pregnancy, encephalitis, intussusception, Kawasaki disease, mastoiditis, myocarditis, necrotizing fasciitis, nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhage, orbital cellulitis, osteomyelitis, ovarian torsion, pulmonary embolism, pyloric stenosis, septic arthritis, sinus venous thrombosis, slipped capital femoral epiphysis, stroke, or testicular torsion. Patients were identified using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State ED and Inpatient Databases. Data were collected from January 2015 to December 2019, and data were analyzed from July to December 2023.ExposureAnnual volume of children at the first ED visited.Main outcomes and measuresPossible delayed diagnosis, defined as a patient with an ED discharge within 7 days prior to diagnosis. A secondary outcome was condition-specific complications. Rates of possible delayed diagnosis and complications were determined. The association of volume with delayed diagnosis across conditions was evaluated using conditional logistic regression matching on condition, age, and medical complexity. Condition-specific volume-delay associations were tested using hierarchical logistic models with log volume as the exposure, adjusting for age, sex, payer, medical complexity, and hospital urbanicity. The association of delayed diagnosis with complications by condition was then examined using logistic regressions.ResultsOf 58 998 included children, 37 211 (63.1%) were male, and the mean (SD) age was 7.1 (5.8) years. A total of 6709 (11.4%) had a complex chronic condition. Delayed diagnosis occurred in 9296 (15.8%; 95% CI, 15.5-16.1). Each 2-fold increase in annual pediatric volume was associated with a 26.7% (95% CI, 22.5-30.7) decrease in possible delayed diagnosis. For 21 of 23 conditions (all except ectopic pregnancy and sinus venous thrombosis), there were decreased rates of possible delayed diagnosis with increasing ED volume. Condition-specific complications were 11.2% (95% CI, 3.1-20.0) more likely among patients with a possible delayed diagnosis compared with those without.Conclusions and relevanceEDs with fewer pediatric encounters had more possible delayed diagnoses across 23 serious conditions. Tools to support timely diagnosis in low-volume EDs are needed.
| S-EPMC10862268 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundIntra-abdominal abscess (IA) is an important clinical complication of Crohn's disease (CD). A high index of clinical suspicion is needed as imaging is not routinely used during hospital admission. This study aimed to identify clinical predictors of an IA among hospitalized patients with CD using machine learning.MethodsWe created an electronic data repository of all patients with CD who visited the emergency department of our tertiary medical center between 2012 and 2018. We searched for the presence of an IA on abdominal imaging within 7 days from visit. Machine learning models were trained to predict the presence of an IA. A logistic regression model was compared with a random forest model.ResultsOverall, 309 patients with CD were hospitalized and underwent abdominal imaging within 7 days. Forty patients (12.9%) were diagnosed with an IA. On multivariate analysis, high C-reactive protein (CRP) [above 65 mg/l, adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 16 (95% CI: 5.51-46.18)], leukocytosis [above 10.5 K/μl, aOR: 4.47 (95% CI: 1.91-10.45)], thrombocytosis [above 322.5 K/μl, aOR: 4.1 (95% CI: 2-8.73)], and tachycardia [over 97 beats per minute, aOR: 2.7 (95% CI: 1.37-5.3)] were independently associated with an IA. Random forest model showed an area under the curve of 0.817 ± 0.065 with six features (CRP, hemoglobin, WBC, age, current biologic therapy, and BUN).ConclusionIn our large tertiary center cohort, the machine learning model identified the association of six clinical features (CRP, hemoglobin, WBC, age, BUN, and biologic therapy) with the presentation of an IA. These may assist as a decision support tool in triaging CD patients for imaging to exclude this potentially life-threatening complication.
| S-EPMC8543712 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe characteristics and outcomes of palliative patients who visited the Emergency Department (ED) in Thailand, a country in which no standard palliative care system existed, have not been comprehensively studied. We aimed to report the characteristics of ED palliative patients and investigate factors associated with mortality.MethodsA prospective observational study was conducted at Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, between March 2019 and February 2021 by means of interviewing palliative patients and/or their caregivers and medical record review. Palliative patients with either incurable cancer or other end-stage chronic diseases were included.ResultsA total of 182 patients were enrolled. Their mean age was 73 years, 61.5% were female, and 53.8% had incurable cancer. Of these, 20.3% had previously visited the palliative clinic. Approximately 60% had advanced directives, 4.9% had a living will, and 27.5% had plans on their preferred place of death. The most common chief complaint was dyspnea (43.4%), and the main reason for ED visits was 'cannot control symptoms' (80%). At the ED, 17% of the patients had been seen by the palliative care team, and 23.1% died. Although 51% were admitted, 48.9% could not survive to discharge. Cancer, having received morphine, a palliative performance scale > 30, and ED palliative consultation were independently associated with hospital mortality.ConclusionThe recognition and utilization of palliative care were largely inadequate, especially for non-cancer patients. An improvement and promotion in the palliative care system from the ED through home care are mandatory to improve the quality of life of palliative patients.
| S-EPMC9235171 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundFalls in older Emergency Department (ED) patients may indicate underlying frailty. Geriatric follow-up might help improve outcomes in addition to managing the direct cause and consequence of the fall. We aimed to study whether fall characteristics and the result of geriatric screening in the ED are independently related to adverse outcomes in older patients with fall-related ED visits.MethodsThis was a secondary analysis of the observational multicenter Acutely Presenting Older Patient (APOP) study, of which a subset of patients aged ≥70 years with fall-related ED visits were prospectively included in EDs of two Dutch hospitals. Fall characteristics (cause and location) were retrospectively collected. The APOP-screener was used as a geriatric screening tool. The outcome was 3- and 12-months functional decline and mortality. We assessed to what extent fall characteristics and the geriatric screening result were independent predictors of the outcome, using multivariable logistic regression analysis.ResultsWe included 393 patients (median age 80 (IQR 76-86) years) of whom 23.0% were high risk according to screening. The cause of the fall was extrinsic (49.6%), intrinsic (29.3%), unexplained (6.4%) or missing (14.8%). A high risk geriatric screening result was related to increased risk of adverse outcomes (3-months adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.27 (1.29-3.98), 12-months AOR 2.20 (1.25-3.89)). Independent of geriatric screening result, an intrinsic cause of the fall increased the risk of 3-months adverse outcomes (AOR 1.92 (1.13-3.26)) and a fall indoors increased the risk of 3-months (AOR 2.14 (1.22-3.74)) and 12-months adverse outcomes (AOR 1.78 (1.03-3.10)).ConclusionsA high risk geriatric screening result and fall characteristics were both independently associated with adverse outcomes in older ED patients, suggesting that information on both should be evaluated to guide follow-up geriatric assessment and interventions in clinical care.
| S-EPMC7934471 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceOpioid prescriptions for treatment of pain in emergency departments (EDs) are associated with long-term opioid use. The temporal pattern of opioid prescribing in the context of the opioid epidemic remains unknown.ObjectiveTo examine the temporal pattern of opioid prescribing within an ED for varying pain conditions between 2009 and 2018.Design, setting, and participantsA population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted at the ED of an urban academic medical center. All patients treated within that ED between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2018, were included.Main outcomes and measuresThe proportion of patients prescribed an opioid for treatment of pain in the ED temporally by condition, condition type, patient demographics, and physician prescriber.ResultsBetween 2009 and 2018, 556 176 patient encounters took place in the ED, with 70 218 unique opioid prescriptions ordered. A total of 316 632 patients (55.9%) were female, 45 070 (42.6%) were of white race, and 43 412 (40.6%) were privately insured; the median age group was 41 to 45 years. Yearly opioid prescriptions decreased by 66.3% (from 16.3 to 5.5 opioids per 100 encounters) between 2013 and 2018, with a yearly adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 0.808 (95% CI, 0.802-0.814) compared with the prior year. In patients with musculoskeletal pain (back, joint, limb, and neck pain), opioid prescribing decreased by 71.1% (from 36.7 to 10.6 opioids per 100 encounters between 2013 and 2018; aOR, 0.758; 95% CI, 0.744-0.773). In patients with musculoskeletal trauma (fracture, sprain, contusion, and injury), opioid prescribing decreased by 58.0% (from 34.2 to 14.8 opioids per 100 encounters; aOR, 0.811; 95% CI, 0.797-0.824). In patients with nonmusculoskeletal pain (abdominal pain, kidney stone, respiratory distress, and pharyngitis) opioid prescribing decreased by 53.7% (from 20.1 to 9.3 opioids per 100 encounters; aOR, 0.850; 95% CI, 0.834-0.868). Between 2009 and 2018, patients who were black (aOR, 0.760; 95% CI, 0.741-0.779) and those who were Asian (aOR, 0.714; 95% CI, 0.665-0.764) had the lowest odds of receiving an opioid compared with other racial/ethnic groups.Conclusions and relevanceThere was a substantial temporal decrease in the number of opioid prescriptions within this ED during the study period. This decrease was associated with substantial relative reductions in opioid prescribing for treatment of musculoskeletal pain compared with fractures and kidney stones.
| S-EPMC7097712 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundFrequent geriatric users of emergency departments (EDs) constitute a small group of individuals accounting for a disproportionately high number of ED visits. In addition to overcrowding, this situation might result in a less appropriate response to health needs and negative health impacts. Geriatric patients turn to EDs for a variety of reasons. A better understanding of the variables associated with frequent ED use will help implement interventions best suited for their needs.ObjectiveThis review aimed at identifying variables associated with frequent ED use by older adults.MethodsFor this systematic review, we searched Medline, CINAHL, Healthstar, and PsyINFO (before June 2018). Articles written in English or French meeting these criteria were included: targeting a population aged 65 years or older, reporting on frequent ED use, using an observational study design and multivariate regression analysis. The search was supplemented by manually examining the reference lists of relevant studies. Independent reviewers identified articles for inclusion, extracted data, and assessed quality with the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Studies Reporting Prevalence. A narrative synthesis was done to combine the study results. A sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of removing the studies not meeting the quality criteria.ResultsOut of 5096 references, 8 met our inclusion criteria. A high number of past hospital and ED admissions, living in a rural area adjacent to an urban center, low income, a high number of prescribed drugs, and a history of heart disease were associated with frequent ED use among older adults. In addition, having a principal-care physician and living in a remote rural area were associated with fewer ED visits. Some variables recognized in the literature as influencing ED use among older adults received scant consideration, such as comorbidity, dementia, and considerations related to primary-care and community settings.ConclusionFurther studies should bridge the gap in understanding and give a more global portrait by adding important personal variables such as dementia, organizational variables such as use of community and primary care, and contextual variables such as social and economic frailty.
| S-EPMC6610907 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAbdominal hernia is the most common surgical alignment that affects all age groups and sexes. It is characterized by the protrusion of abdominal contents through the abdominal wall's muscles and fascia. In this study, the incidence, types, and associated factors of external abdominal hernias at Hiwotfana Comprehensive Specialized Hospital and Jugal Regional Hospital, eastern Ethiopia, were ascertained.ObjectiveTo identify the incidence, types, and associated factors of external abdominal hernia among adult patients who visited the surgical outpatient department of Hiwotfana comprehensive specialized hospital and Jugal regional hospital from 20 October to 5 December 2022.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from 20 October to 5 December 2022, on adult patients who visited the surgical outpatient department at the Hiwotfana Comprehensive Specialized Hospital and Jugal Regional Hospital in eastern Ethiopia. All adult patients who visited the surgical outpatient department of each hospital were enroled in the study using a stratified random sampling technique. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted, and the results were presented in text, graphs, and tables. Odd ratios for the strength and directions of association were used with a 95% CI, and a P value of less than 0.05 was considered to declare statistical significance.ResultA total of 403 participants were included in this study from two different governmental hospitals in Harar town, with a 100% response rate. The incidence of the external abdominal wall hernia was 41 (10.2%). The epigastric hernia had the highest prevalence (41.5%, n=17). Constipation [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.91, CI=1.119-7.579), prolonged cough (AOR=3.993, CI=1.358-11.741), history of abdominal surgery (AOR=5.764, CI=1.837-18.083) and heavy lifting (AOR=5.476, CI=2.505-11.969) had statistically significant association (P≤0.05).ConclusionThe incidence of external abdominal wall hernia in our area is similar to the other existing literature reported from different areas. Epigastric hernia is the most prevalent type of external abdominal hernia and is commonly encountered in female patients. Constipation, a prolonged cough, previous abdominal surgery, and heavy lifting are significantly associated with an external abdominal wall hernia.
| S-EPMC10849383 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Changing global demography is resulting in older people presenting to emergency departments (EDs) in greater numbers than ever before. They present with greater urgency and are more likely to be admitted to hospital or re-attend and utilize greater resources. They experience longer waits for care and are less likely to be satisfied with their experiences. Not only that, but older people suffer poorer health outcomes after ED attendance, with higher mortality rates and greater dependence in activities of daily living or rates of admission to nursing homes. Older people's assessment and management in the ED can be complex, time consuming, and require specialist skills. The interplay of multiple comorbidities and functional decline result in the complex state of frailty that can predispose to poor health outcomes and greater care needs. Older people with frailty may present to services in an atypical fashion requiring detailed, multidimensional, and increasingly multidisciplinary care to provide the correct diagnosis and management as well as appropriate placement for ongoing care or admission avoidance. Specific challenges such as delirium, functional decline, or carer strain need to be screened for and managed appropriately. Identifying patients with specific frailty syndromes can be critical to identifying those at highest risk of poor outcomes and most likely to benefit from further specialist interventions. Models of care are evolving that aim to deliver multidimensional assessment and management by multidisciplinary specialist care teams (comprehensive geriatric assessment). Increasingly, these models are demonstrating improved outcomes, including admission avoidance or reduced death and dependence. Delivering this in the ED is an evolving area of practice that adapts the principles of geriatric medicine for the urgent-care environment.
| S-EPMC4246995 | biostudies-literature