Reasons for Being Admitted to the Hospital through the Emergency Department, 2003

More HCUP Highlights, from Statistical Briefing #2

Circulatory disorders (diseases of the heart and blood vessels) were the most frequent reason for admission to the hospital through the ED, accounting for 26.3 percent of all such admissions; injuries accounted for 11.4 percent.

The top 20 specific conditions accounted for more than half of all hospital admissions through the ED, with pneumonia as the single most common specific condition at nearly one million (5.7 percent) of all such admissions.

Complications of procedures, devices, implants, and grafts ranked as the ninth most common reason for admission through the ED and included postoperative infections, malfunction of orthopedic devices, and infection of arteriovenous fistulas used for dialysis.

The top 20 specific conditions admitted through the ED included several chronic conditions: chronic obstructive lung disease, asthma, diabetes, and mood disorders. Also included were fluid and electrolyte disorders; urinary, skin, and blood infections; gall bladder disease, gastrointestinal bleeding, and appendicitis; and hip fracture.

While up to 82 percent of the most frequent acute conditions were admitted through the ED, a large percentage of chronic conditions were also admitted through the ED; for example, 72 percent of cases with conestive heart failure, chronic obstructive lung disease, and asthma were such admissions.