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Characteristics of patients who died in the hospital emergency service during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a retrospective cohort study in a tertiary hospital in Spain

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Abstract

The objective of this study is to analyze the characteristics of patients who died in the Hospital Emergency Department (HED) of a Spanish third-level hospital, with a special focus on those who died due to SARS-CoV-2. A retrospective cohort study was conducted, including all patients over 18 years old who died in the Hospital Emergency Department (HED) of a Spanish third-level hospital located in Badalona, Spain, from Jun 2019 to Dec 2020. Various sociodemographic, clinical, and diagnostic variables of the patients were analyzed to identify potential risk factors associated with mortality. During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, a total of 72 patients died in the HED, representing a 42% increase compared to the pre-pandemic period. Of the deceased patients, 11% were attributed to SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, it was found that patients who died from SARS-CoV-2 during the first wave were significantly younger than those in the second wave, with an average age of 78.6 ± 3.1 years in the first wave and 91.8 ± 4.8 years in the second wave. No significant differences were found regarding gender or associated comorbidities. Overall, the mortality rate at the HED in relation to COVID-19 was low, and infected patients died at younger ages during the first wave compared to the second wave.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hospital Universitario Germans Trias I Pujol, 08916, Badalona, Spain

    Iria Sanlés-González, Laura Grimal-Abejez, Judith Serrat-Muñoz, Neus Robert-Boter, Antonia Segura-Egea & Anna Carreres-Molas

  2. Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, 39008, Santander, Cantabria, Spain

    Héctor Alonso-Valle

  3. Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cantabria, 39011, Santander, Spain

    Jessica Alonso-Molero, Trinidad Dierssen-Sotos & Inés Gómez-Acebo

  4. IDIVAL Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Valdecilla, 39011, Santander, Spain

    Jessica Alonso-Molero, Trinidad Dierssen-Sotos & Inés Gómez-Acebo

  5. CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), 28029, Madrid, Spain

    Jessica Alonso-Molero, Trinidad Dierssen-Sotos & Inés Gómez-Acebo

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  1. Iria Sanlés-González
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Correspondence to Iria Sanlés-González.

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Sanlés-González, I., Grimal-Abejez, L., Serrat-Muñoz, J. et al. Characteristics of patients who died in the hospital emergency service during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a retrospective cohort study in a tertiary hospital in Spain. Intern Emerg Med (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11739-023-03519-x

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