ABSTRACT

Failure in hospitalization of intensive care unit (ICU) patients, directly affect the emergency department processing and the clinics of the patients negatively. In this retrospective study, we analyzed patients admitted to the emergency department ICUs.

In this study, a total of 388 patients who were treated in an emergency ICU of a university hospital for a year were screened retrospectively. The duration of hospitalization and outcomes were compared with those of patients treated in the other ICUs of the hospital. The effect of emergency ICU on the number of patients sent to another hospital because of the lack of empty beds in the ICU and mortality were evaluated.

The ratio of the patients treated in the emergency ICU constituted 19.2% of the patients hospitalized in all ICUs of our hospital (n=2108). The number of patients who were admitted to the ICU of another hospital because of the lack of empty beds was 374. The duration of emergency ICU stay was too long (489.49 minute). The shortest duration of stay was observed in patients admitted to the coronary and neurology ICUs (267.36 and 349.36 minute, respectively).

Our study revealed that emergency ICUs significantly reduces the number of referrals to the ICUs of another hospital and the duration of the emergency service follow-up period.

Keywords: Intensive care, emergency, density in the emergency service