scholarly journals Emergency Department Visits and Trends Related to Cocaine, Psychostimulants, and Opioids in the United States, 2008-2018

Author(s):  
Leslie W. Suen ◽  
Thibaut Davy-Mendez ◽  
Kathy T. LeSaint ◽  
Elise D. Riley ◽  
Phillip Coffin

Abstract Background Drug-related emergency department (ED) visits are escalating, especially for stimulant use (i.e., cocaine and psychostimulants such as methamphetamine). We sought to characterize rates, presentation, and management of US ED visits related to cocaine and psychostimulant use, compared to opioid use. Methods We used 2008–2018 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data to identify a nationally representative sample of ED visits related to cocaine and psychostimulant use, with opioids as the comparator. We excluded visits related to ≥2 of the three possible drug categories. We estimated annual rate trends using unadjusted Poisson regression; described demographics, presenting concerns, and management; and determined associations between drug-type and presenting concerns (categorized as psychiatric, neurologic, cardiopulmonary, and drug toxicity/withdrawal) using logistic regression, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and homelessness. Results Cocaine-related ED visits did not significantly increase, while psychostimulant-related ED visits increased from 2008 to 2018 (2.2 visits per 10,000 population to 12.9 visits per 10,000 population; p < 0.001). Cocaine-related ED visits had higher usage of cardiac testing, while psychostimulant-related ED visits had higher usage of chemical restraints than opioid-related ED visits. Cocaine- and psychostimulant-related ED visits had greater odds of presenting with cardiopulmonary concerns (cocaine adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.95, 95% CI 1.70–5.13; psychostimulant aOR 2.46, 95% CI 1.42–4.26), while psychostimulant-related visits had greater odds of presenting with psychiatric concerns (aOR 2.69; 95% CI 1.83–3.95) and lower odds of presenting with drug toxicity/withdrawal concerns (aOR 0.47, 95%CI 0.30–0.73) compared to opioid-related ED visits. Conclusion Presentations for stimulant-related ED visits differ from opioid-related ED visits: compared to opioids, ED presentations related to cocaine and psychostimulants are less often identified as related to drug toxicity/withdrawal and more often require interventions to address acute cardiopulmonary and psychiatric complications.

Author(s):  
Raghav Tripathi ◽  
Konrad D Knusel ◽  
Harib H Ezaldein ◽  
Jeremy S Bordeaux ◽  
Jeffrey F Scott

Abstract Background Limited information exists regarding the burden of emergency department (ED) visits due to scabies in the United States. The goal of this study was to provide population-level estimates regarding scabies visits to American EDs. Methods This study was a retrospective analysis of the nationally representative National Emergency Department Sample from 2013 to 2015. Outcomes included adjusted odds for scabies ED visits, adjusted odds for inpatient admission due to scabies in the ED scabies population, predictors for cost of care, and seasonal/regional variation in cost and prevalence of scabies ED visits. Results Our patient population included 416 017 218 ED visits from 2013 to 2015, of which 356 267 were due to scabies (prevalence = 85.7 per 100 000 ED visits). The average annual expenditure for scabies ED visits was $67 125 780.36. The average cost of care for a scabies ED visit was $750.91 (±17.41). Patients visiting the ED for scabies were most likely to be male children from lower income quartiles and were most likely to present to the ED on weekdays in the fall, controlling for all other factors. Scabies ED patients that were male, older, insured by Medicare, from the highest income quartile, and from the Midwest/West were most likely to be admitted as inpatients. Older, higher income, Medicare patients in large Northeastern metropolitan cities had the greatest cost of care. Conclusion This study provides comprehensive nationally representative estimates of the burden of scabies ED visits on the American healthcare system. These findings are important for developing targeted interventions to decrease the incidence and burden of scabies in American EDs.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler Hill ◽  
Yun Jiang ◽  
Christopher Friese ◽  
Lynae Darbes ◽  
Christopher K. Blazes ◽  
...  

Abstract Background : We aimed to characterize Emergency Department (ED) utilization and outcomes of patients with depression seeking emergency care for all reasons. Methods : Using 2014–2016 ED data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, we investigated demographics, ED resource utilization, clinical characteristics, and disposition of patients with depression versus those without depression. Results : Approximately 10,626,184 (11.4%) out of 92,899,685 annual ED visits were by patients with depression. ED patients with depression were mostly non-Hispanic White (74.0%) and were less likely to be male than patients without depression (aOR: 0.56; [95%] CI: 0.56–0.56). ED patients with depression were more likely to be admitted to the hospital (aOR: 1.56; CI: 1.55–1.56) and intensive care unit (ICU) (aOR: 1.28; CI: 1.27–1.28) than patients without depression. Among ED patients with depression, males were more likely than females to be seeking emergency care for psychiatric reasons (aOR: 2.04; CI: 2.03–2.05) and to present with overdose/poisoning (aOR: 1.35; CI: 1.34–1.36). Conclusions : We described the unique demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical characteristics of ED patients with depression, using the most comprehensive, nationally representative study to date. We revealed notable gender disparities in rates and reasons for admissions. The higher hospital and ICU admission rates of ED patients with depression suggests this population requires a higher level of emergency care, for reasons that remain poorly understood.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Walsh

ObjectiveTo identify heroin- and opioid-related emergency department visitsusing pre-diagnositc data. To demonstrate the value of clinical notesto public health surveillance and situational awareness.IntroductionOverdoses of heroin and prescription opioids are a growingcause of mortality in the United States. Deaths from opioids havecontributed to a rise in the overall mortality rate of middle-aged whitemales during an era when other demographics are experiencing lifeexpectancy gains.1 A successful public health intervention to reversethis mortality trend requires a detailed understanding of whichpopulations are most affected and where those populations live. Whilemortality is the most relevant metric for this emerging challenge,increased burden on laboratory facilities can create significantdelays in obtaining confirmation of which patients died from opioidoverdoses.Emergency department visits for opioid overdoses can provide amore timely proxy measure of overall opioid use. Unfortunately, chiefcomplaints do not always contain an indication of opioid involvement.Overdose patients are not always conscious at registration whichlimits the amount of information they can provide. Menu-drivenregistration systems can lump all overdoses together regardless ofsubstance. A more complete record of the emergency departmentinteraction, such as that provided by triage notes, could provide theinformation necessary to differentiate opioid-related visits from otheroverdoses.MethodsEmergency department registration data was collected fromhospitals via the EpiCenter syndromic surveillance system. Thisdata included chief complaints, triage notes, discharge disposition,and preliminary diagnosis codes. Data elements were linked across agiven visit using patient identifiers and visit numbers as appropriate.Heroin- and opioid-related indicators were identified in chiefcomplaints and triage notes using regular expressions. These wereseparated into three categories: visits with an indication of overdose,visits for withdrawal symptoms, and visits where opioids werementioned in some other context such as history of use. Thesecategories were designed to be mutually exclusive.Regular expression classification results were compared toclassifications based on opioid-related diagnosis codes.ResultsA total of 2,934,610 ED registrations with triage notes and diagnosiscodes were collected from 82 hospitals between January 1, 2015 andAugust 21, 2016. Of these encounters, 24,012 referenced opioid usein some way; 16,718 mentioned heroin specifically; 3,663 mentionedfentanyl specifically; and 5,350 mentioned opioids generically.Table 1 shows the distribution of heroin-related ED visits acrosscategories and source of the indicator. Column totals are not the sumof individual row amounts; they have been adjusted so that a givenregistration is only counted once.Table 2 shows the overlap of heroin-related ED visits betweensources of indicators. Triage notes showed the least overlap with theother two sources, while chief complaints showed the most.ConclusionsWhile it is possible to find indicators of opioid use or overdosein chief complaint data, that field alone does not provide totalinformation about which ED visits are related to opioids. Triagenotes in particular indicate opioid involvement in a large numberof visits not identified by other data sources. While many of theseare simply mentions of opioids, possibly indicating past history ofuse or even in some cases just that questions about opioid use wereasked, a substantial number of visits with overdose indicators werealso detected solely from triage note data. These results suggest thattriage notes can be a valuable additional data source for more complexhealth concerns such as opioid drug use.Table 1: Heroin-Related ED Visits By Indicator Source and CategoryTable 2: Overlap of Heroin-Related ED Visits between Indicators


2019 ◽  
Vol 112 (9) ◽  
pp. 938-943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikram Jairam ◽  
Daniel X Yang ◽  
James B Yu ◽  
Henry S Park

Abstract Background Patients with cancer may be at risk of high opioid use due to physical and psychosocial factors, although little data exist to inform providers and policymakers. Our aim is to examine overdoses from opioids leading to emergency department (ED) visits among patients with cancer in the United States. Methods The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Emergency Department Sample was queried for all adult cancer-related patient visits with a primary diagnosis of opioid overdose between 2006 and 2015. Temporal trends and baseline differences between patients with and without opioid-related ED visits were evaluated. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors associated with opioid overdose. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results Between 2006 and 2015, there were a weighted total of 35 339 opioid-related ED visits among patients with cancer. During this time frame, the incidence of opioid-related ED visits for overdose increased twofold (P &lt; .001). On multivariable regression (P &lt; .001), comorbid diagnoses of chronic pain (odds ratio [OR] 4.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.13 to 4.93), substance use disorder (OR = 3.54, 95% CI = 3.28 to 3.82), and mood disorder (OR = 3.40, 95% CI = 3.16 to 3.65) were strongly associated with an opioid-related visit. Patients with head and neck cancer (OR = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.82 to 2.28) and multiple myeloma (OR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.32 to 2.26) were also at risk for overdose. Conclusions Over the study period, the incidence of opioid-related ED visits in patients with cancer increased approximately twofold. Comorbid diagnoses and primary disease site may predict risk for opioid overdose.


2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (6) ◽  
pp. 685-694
Author(s):  
Shaoman Yin ◽  
Laurie Barker ◽  
Eyasu H. Teshale ◽  
Ruth B. Jiles

Objective: Emergency departments (EDs) are critical settings for hepatitis C care in the United States. We assessed trends and characteristics of hepatitis C–associated ED visits during 2006-2014. Methods: We used data from the 2006-2014 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample to estimate numbers, rates, and costs of hepatitis C–associated ED visits, defined by either first-listed diagnosis of hepatitis C or all-listed diagnosis of hepatitis C. We assessed trends by demographic characteristics, liver disease severity, and patients’ disposition by using joinpoint analysis, and we calculated the average annual percentage change (AAPC) from 2006 to 2014. Results: During 2006-2014, the rate per 100 000 visits of first-listed and all-listed hepatitis C–associated ED visits increased significantly from 10.1 to 25.4 (AAPC = 13.0%; P < .001) and from 484.4 to 631.6 (AAPC = 3.4%; P < .001), respectively. Approximately 70% of these visits were made by persons born during 1945-1965 (baby boomers); 30% of visits were made by Medicare beneficiaries and 40% by Medicaid beneficiaries. Significant rate increases were among visits by baby boomers (first-listed: AAPC = 13.8%; all-listed: AAPC = 2.6%), persons born after 1965 (first-listed: AAPC = 14.3%; all-listed: AAPC = 9.2%), Medicare beneficiaries (first-listed: AAPC = 18.0%; all-listed: AAPC = 3.9%), and persons hospitalized after ED visits (first-listed: AAPC = 20.0%; all-listed: AAPC = 2.3%; all P < .001). Increasing proportions of compensated cirrhosis were among visits by baby boomers (first-listed: AAPC = 11.5%; all-listed: AAPC = 6.3%). Annual hepatitis C–associated total ED costs increased by 400.0% (first-listed) and 192.0% (all-listed) during 2006-2014. Conclusion: Public health efforts are needed to address the growing burden of hepatitis C care in the ED.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. S330-S330
Author(s):  
Jennifer P Collins ◽  
Louise Francois Watkins ◽  
Laura M King ◽  
Monina Bartoces ◽  
Katherine Fleming-Dutra ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is a major cause of office and emergency department (ED) visits in the United States. Most patients can be managed with supportive care alone, although some require antibiotics. Limiting unnecessary antibiotic use can minimize side effects and the development of resistance. We used national data to assess antibiotic prescribing for AGE to target areas for stewardship efforts. Methods We used the 2006–2015 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey of EDs and National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey to describe antibiotic prescribing for AGE. An AGE visit was defined as one with a new problem (&lt;3 months) as the main visit indication and an ICD-9 code for bacterial or viral gastrointestinal infection or AGE symptoms (nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea). We excluded visits with ICD-9 codes for Clostridium difficile or an infection usually requiring antibiotics (e.g., pneumonia). We calculated national annual percentage estimates based on weights of sampled visits and used an α level of 0.01, recommended for these data. Results Of the 12,191 sampled AGE visits, 13% (99% CI: 11–15%) resulted in antibiotic prescriptions, equating to an estimated 1.3 million AGE visits with antibiotic prescriptions annually. Antibiotics were more likely to be prescribed in office AGE visits (16%, 99% CI: 12–20%) compared with ED AGE visits (11%, 99% CI: 9–12%; P &lt; 0.01). Among AGE visits with antibiotic prescriptions, the most frequently prescribed were fluoroquinolones (29%, 99% CI: 21–36%), metronidazole (18%, 99% CI: 13–24%), and penicillins (18%, 99% CI: 11–24%). Antibiotics were prescribed for 25% (99% CI: 8–42%) of visits for bacterial AGE, 16% (99% CI: 12–21%) for diarrhea without nausea or vomiting, and 11% (99% CI: 8–15%) for nausea, vomiting, or both without diarrhea. Among AGE visits with fever (T ≥ 100.9oF) at the visit, 21% (99% CI: 11–31%) resulted in antibiotic prescriptions. Conclusion Patients treated for AGE in office settings were significantly more likely to receive prescriptions for antibiotics compared with those seen in an ED, despite likely lower acuity. Antibiotic prescribing was also high for visits for nausea or vomiting, conditions that usually do not require antibiotics. Antimicrobial stewardship for AGE is needed, especially in office settings. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


2020 ◽  
pp. 155982762094218
Author(s):  
Briana L. Moreland ◽  
Ramakrishna Kakara ◽  
Yara K. Haddad ◽  
Iju Shakya ◽  
Gwen Bergen

Introduction. Falls among older adults (age ≥65) are a common and costly health issue. Knowing where falls occur and whether this location differs by sex and age can inform prevention strategies. Objective. To determine where injurious falls that result in emergency department (ED) visits commonly occur among older adults in the United States, and whether these locations differ by sex and age. Methods. Using 2015 National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program data we reviewed narratives for ED patients aged ≥65 who had an unintentional fall as the primary cause of injury. Results. More fall-related ED visits (71.6%) resulted from falls that occurred indoors. A higher percentage of men’s falls occurred outside (38.3%) compared to women’s (28.4%). More fall-related ED visits were due to falls at home (79.2%) compared to falls not at home (20.8%). The most common locations for a fall at home were the bedroom, bathroom, and stairs. Conclusion. The majority of falls resulting in ED visits among older adults occurred indoors and varied by sex and age. Knowing common locations of injurious falls can help older adults and caregivers prioritize home modifications. Understanding sex and age differences related to fall location can be used to develop targeted prevention messages.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 6579-6579
Author(s):  
Vikram Jairam ◽  
Daniel X. Yang ◽  
James B. Yu ◽  
Henry S. Park

6579 Background: Patients with cancer may be at high risk of opioid dependence due to physical and psychosocial factors, although little data exists to inform providers and policymakers. Our aim is to examine overdoses from prescription and synthetic opiates leading to emergency department (ED) visits among patients with cancer in the United States. Methods: The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (HCUP-NEDS) was queried for all patient visits with a primary diagnosis of prescription or synthetic opioid overdose between 2006 and 2015. Baseline differences between patients with and without cancer were assessed using chi-square and ANOVA testing. Overdose rates by primary cancer site were normalized using prevalence data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. Weighted frequencies were used to create national estimates for all data analyses. Results: There were 682,820 weighted ED visits for synthetic opioid overdose, among which 34,547 (5.1%) visits were also associated with a diagnosis of cancer. During this timeframe, ED visits for opioid overdose among patients with cancer increased 2.5-fold, compared to 1.7-fold among those without cancer. 16.5% of patients with cancer had metastatic disease. Patients with cancer presenting for opioid overdose had higher risk of hospital admission (74.8% vs 49.6%), respiratory intubation (13.2% vs 12.2%), mortality (2.1% vs 1.1%), and cost-of-hospital-stay ($32,665 vs $31,824) compared to their non-cancer counterparts (all P < 0.05). Primary cancers with the highest normalized overdose rates (ED visits per 10,000 patients) were esophagus (134), liver & intrahepatic bile duct (124), and cervical cancer (124). Other common cancers had the following normalized overdose rates: lung (105), head and neck (70), and breast (26). Conclusions: Approximately 5% of all ED visits due to prescription and synthetic opioid overdose are among patients with cancer. The rate of increase in ED visits due to opioid overdose from cancer patients was nearly 50% higher than that from non-cancer patients over the 10-year study period. Patients with esophageal, liver, and cervical cancer may be at highest risk.


2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 309-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Tenan

Few authors have reported nationally representative data on the number of sport and recreation (SR) injuries resulting in emergency department (ED) visitation. The existing studies have only provided 1 or 2 years of data and are not longitudinal in nature.Context: To use a novel algorithmic approach to determine if ED visitation is due to SR, resulting in a substantially larger longitudinal dataset.Objective: Descriptive epidemiology study.Design: Hospital.Setting: The National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a stratified random-sample survey of US hospital EDs was combined for years 1997–2009. There were 15 699 unweighted patient visits determined to be from SR.Patients or Other Participants: A custom algorithm classified SR visits based on the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification E-code and pattern recognition of narrative text. Sport and recreation visits were assessed by age and categorized according to broad injury classifications. Additional quantification was performed on SR visits for lower extremity and knee-specific injuries. Sample weights were applied to provide national annual estimates.Main Outcome Measure(s): Annually, 4 243 000 ED visits resulted from SR. The largest classification of injury from SR was sprains and strains (896 000/y). Males had substantially more SR-related ED visits than females (2 929 000/y versus 1 314 000/y). For patients 10–49 years old, 1 093 000 lower extremity and 169 000 knee-specific injury visits annually were from SR. For both injury types, males had a higher rate of ED visitation; however, females had 25% and 39% greater odds of visitation for lower extremity and knee-specific injury, respectively.Results: The burden on the health system of ED visits from SR was substantial. Males presented in the ED at a higher rate for SR injury, though females had a higher proportion of lower extremity and knee-specific injury ED visitations from SR. This longitudinal analysis of population-level data provides the information to target research on specific subpopulations to mitigate SR injury.Conclusions:


2021 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 485-493
Author(s):  
Ashley Schappell D'Inverno ◽  
Nimi Idaikkadar ◽  
Debra Houry

Objectives. To report trends in sexual violence (SV) emergency department (ED) visits in the United States. Methods. We analyzed monthly changes in SV rates (per 100 000 ED visits) from January 2017 to December 2019 using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Syndromic Surveillance Program data. We stratified the data by sex and age groups. Results. There were 196 948 SV-related ED visits from January 2017 to December 2019. Females had higher rates of SV-related ED visits than males. Across the entire time period, females aged 50 to 59 years showed the highest increase (57.33%) in SV-related ED visits, when stratified by sex and age group. In all strata examined, SV-related ED visits displayed positive trends from January 2017 to December 2019; 10 out of the 24 observed positive trends were statistically significant increases. We also observed seasonal trends with spikes in SV-related ED visits during warmer months and declines during colder months, particularly in ages 0 to 9 years and 10 to 19 years. Conclusions. We identified several significant increases in SV-related ED visits from January 2017 to December 2019. Syndromic surveillance offers near-real-time surveillance of ED visits and can aid in the prevention of SV.


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