Endocrinology Consultations Evaluated in the Emergency Department over the Last Five Years: A Single Center Experience

Abstract

Purpose:
 The increasing trend of metabolic diseases causes endocrine emergencies to be encountered more frequently in emergency services. This trend increases the importance of endocrinology consultations from emergency services. Examining the features of these consultations will allow the process to be concluded more quickly and effectively.
 Materials and Method:
 Patients who applied to Manisa Celal Bayar University Faculty of Medicine Emergency Department between March 1, 2017 and March 1, 2022, and were consulted with the Department of Endocrinology were included. The patients' age, gender, diagnoses, the day, the duration and the results of the consultations were evaluated.
 Results:
 The mean age of the 326 patients included in the study was 51.56 ± 19.4 years. 53.4% (n=174) were female, 46.6% (n=152) were male. Of the patients, 29.4% (n=96) were diagnosed as diabetic ketoacidosis, 21.5% (n=70) hyperglycemia, and 10.7% (n=35) diabetic ketosis. The mean consultation duration was 65.21 ± 46.23 minutes. 32.2% of the patients (n=105) were discharged from the emergency department. This was followed by endocrinology service admission (23.9%; n=78) and intensive care unit admission (17.8%; n=58).
 Conclusion:
 In the sample group with homogeneous gender and age distribution, it was observed that the majority of the patients applied to the emergency service with diabetes-related emergencies. The diagnosis spectrum of the patients was quite wide, and the consultations were concluded within an average of about one hour. A further investigation of the emergency department endocrinology consultations in detail will contribute to detecting the problems in this process and; therefore, its improvement.