Characteristics of death cases in the emergency department of a tertiary hospital in Cangzhou City from 2017 to 2021

  Objective  To understand the mortality of emergency cases in a tertiary hospital in Cangzhou City and provide a basis for improving the success of emergency rescue.

  Methods  The number of emergency visits and death cases in a large comprehensive tertiary hospital in Cangzhou City from 2017 to 2021 were collected, and the characteristics of death cases and change patterns in the emergency department over 5 years were analyzed.

  Results  Over 5 years, a total of 77 686 emergency visits were received in this emergency department. Among these, 404 deaths occurred, with a mortality of 0.52%. The number of emergency visits showed an upward trend over the years, while mortality showed a downward trend year by year(trend χ²= 49.115, P < 0.01). The leading causes of death were cardiovascular diseases, injuries and poisonings, and respiratory diseases. The male-to-female ratio of mortality was 2.04 ∶1. The majority of deaths occurred in individuals aged 45 and above(344 cases, 85.15%), with 60 years and above accounting for 55.94%. The proportion of deaths was slightly higher in the summer(112 cases, accounting for 7.72%), and the time of lowest occurrence was during 01:00-08:00(accounting for 11.88%). In 404 cases of death, most deaths(70.79%) occurred within 15-30 min after being sent to the emergency department. However, the number of deaths that occurred within 15 min after being sent to the emergency department increased year by year, while the number of deaths that occurred 30 min later decreased(χ²=40.286, P < 0.001).

  Conclusions  In the past 5 years, the emergency mortality in this tertiary hospital has decreased gradually, and emergency treatment quality has improved year by year. The disease spectrum and mortality of emergency cases were associated with many factors. Hospitals at all levels should carry out emergency rescues according to the principle of "graded diagnosis and treatment". Hospitals should allocate resources rationally, strengthen the development of emergency medicine disciplines to meet the needs of emergency patients.