Does Extended Emergency Department Length of Stay (EDLOS) Affect Mortality in Patients with Traumatic Intraperitoneal Hemorrhage needing Emergency Laparotomy?

PURPOSE: Outcome for critically ill patients often depends on time-sensitive critical care interventions. Thus we examined the effects of time on the mortality and the factors affecting emergency department length-of-stay (EDLOS) in hypotensive patients needing laparotomy in an emergency department. METHODS: ED records were reviewed for documentation of factors that might be associated with prolonged EDLOS, such as computed tomography, the number of standard radiographs, overcrowding, special procedures, and consultations. EDLOS was considered to consist of the time from arrival in the ED to departure from the ED. To assess the effect of multiple simultaneous factors a Cox proportional hazard model was created and a risk ratio (RR) was used to assess the effect of time on mortality. Risk ratio for death was equal to the percentage of patients with tested attributes among patients who died divided by the percent with those attributes among survivors. RESULTS: One-hundred sixteen patients met the inclusion criteria. Average time to the ED was 199.7+/-100.0 minutes. Using a Cox proportional hazards model, the independent predictors of prolonged EDLOS were determined to be additional CT for other areas outside of the abdomen, the number of standard radiographs, whether the patients had a weekend visit, and overcrowding. The risk ratio for time spent in the ED before laparotomy increased up to a time of 120 minutes, then significantly decreased below all earlier values on patients with hypotension and unreponsive to fluid therapy. The risk ratio increased after 240 minutes in patients with hypotension and responsive to fluid therapy. CONCLUSION: The probability of death showed a relationship to the EDLOS for patients who were in the EDLOS for 120 minutes or less in hypotensive abdominal injury patients needing laparotomy in the emergency department.

Effects of Emergency Department Length of Stay on Prognosis for Critically Ill Patients Undergoing Traumatic Emergency Surgery

PURPOSE: Prolonged stay in the emergency department (ED) have been associated with high mortality, but this association remains controversial. We examined the relationship between emergency department length of stay (EDLOS) and the mortality in critically ill patients undergoing traumatic emergency surgery. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at an academic medical center with 257 critically ill patients undergoing traumatic emergency surgery from 2003 to 2004. Patients were classified into two groups those spending less than 4 hours in the emergency department and those spending over 4 hours. The groups were compared for hospital-mortality, and the data were entered into multinominal logistic regression, ROC curve, and life table using 12.0 version of SSPS. RESULTS: The overall mortality rate was 16.0%. Average length of stay was 220.1+/-138.5 minutes and 191.3+/-112.9 minutes in the survivors and non-survivor groups, respectively (p=0.212). Hospital-mortality and cumulative survival rate were similar in the group spending less than 4 hours to those in the group spending over 4 hours. The mortality was mainly related to the severity of the patients' condition (SAPS II). CONCLUSION: EDLOS did not affect hospital mortality, and EDLOS of more than 4 hours was not associated with worse prognosis.