Affiliation:
1. Hospital Universitario Hermanos Trias y Pujol: Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol
2. Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol: Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol
3. Hospital Universitario Marques de Valdecilla
4. Universidad de Cantabria
Abstract
Abstract
Objective:
The objective of this study is to analyze the characteristics of patients who died in the Hospital Emergency Department (HED) of a Spanish third-level hospital, with a special focus on those who died due to SARS-CoV-2.
Methods:
A retrospective cohort study was conducted, including all patients over 18 years old who died in the Hospital Emergency Department (HED) of a Spanish third-level hospital located in Badalona, Spain, from June 2019 to December 2020. Various sociodemographic, clinical, and diagnostic variables of the patients were analyzed to identify potential risk factors associated with mortality.
Results:
During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, a total of 72 patients died in the HED, representing a 42% increase compared to the pre-pandemic period. Of the deceased patients, 11% were attributed to SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, it was found that patients who died from SARS-CoV-2 during the first wave were significantly younger than those in the second wave, with an average age of 78.6 ± 3.1 years in the first wave and 91.8 ± 4.8 years in the second wave. No significant differences were found regarding gender or associated comorbidities.
Conclusions:
Overall, the mortality rate at the HED in relation to COVID-19 was low, and infected patients died at younger ages during the first wave compared to the second wave.
Publisher
Research Square Platform LLC
Reference29 articles.
1. Riva Miranda G. Mortalidad en un Servicio de Urgencias Hospitalarias. Características clínico epidemiológicas;Rodríguez Maroto O;Emergencias,2004
2. Analysis of mortality in the emergency department at a university hospital in Pleven;Stefanovski PH;J Int Med Res,2017
3. Características epidemiológicas de los pacientes fallecidos en los servicios de urgencias hospitalarias del sistema aragonés de salud y su relación con el índice comorbilidad. Emergencias;Vázquez-García D,2020
4. End-of-life issues: Withdrawal and withholding of life-sustaining healthcare in the emergency department: A comparison between emergency physicians and emergency registrars: A sub-study;Richardson PG;EMA - Emerg Med Australas,2016
5. Del Arco-Galán C. Mortalidad precoz en un hospital terciario: Análisis de la calidad asistencial;Parra-Caballero P;Emergencias,2011