Geriatric Patient Admissions to the Emergency Service

Abstract

Objective: In this study, we aimed to analyze the demographic features of patients older than 65 years admitted to the emergency department. Material and Methods: All patients who were over 65 years old and admitted to a tertiary care emergency department were included in this retrospective study. Information, including admission dates (month, season), age, sex, admission type, diagnosis, duration of hospitalization, and outcome in the emergency department of the patients, was evaluated. The obtained data were analyzed with student t-test and chi-square test by using SPSS 17.0 software. Results: Of 238,222 patients admitted to the emergency department, 8793 (3.6%) were over 65 years old; 58% of the patients were female and 42% were male. The rate of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among respiratory problems in males and the rate of hypertension among cardiac problems in females were found to be significantly high. The highest admission rate was in the autumn months (32.6%). The most common reason for admission to the emergency department was cardiac problems (21.7%). This was followed by neurological problems, trauma, respiratory system problems, and urinary tract infections, respectively. The highest mortality rate was 45% in the general intensive care unit. The most frequent cause for mortality was cardiac problems. Conclusion: Cardiac problems were the most common cause of admissions to the emergency department, hospitalization, and mortality in geriatric patients. Future studies for determining the admission rate and most frequently observed illnesses of geriatric patients might be helpful in developing special care areas and special scanning tests for geriatric patients. (JAEM 2014; 13: 53-7)