Characteristics of patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit through the emergency department: a monocentric retrospective observational study

The intensive care of critically ill patients is of great importance for emergency care. To achieve this, patients in need of intensive care must be quickly identified. On the other hand, misallocation of intensive care beds to patients who do not necessarily require intensive care must be avoided. Emergency departments play a crucial role in these decision-making processes. In a retrospective single-center study, we examined the characteristics of patients admitted to the intensive care unit through our emergency department, as well as the subsequent course of patients who were referred for intensive care via the emergency medical services. During the 12-months study period, 632 patients were admitted to an intensive care unit within the hospital through our emergency department. Of these patients, 15.2% presented themselves at the emergency department independently, while 84.8% were transported by emergency medical services. Among the patients brought in by the emergency medical services and subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit, 27.6% were registered for the resuscitation room, 25.2% for an intermediate care/intensive care unit, and 47.2% with a different care destination. Of the 373 patients registered for the resuscitation room, 45.6% were admitted to an intensive care unit. 24.1% of the patients were admitted to an intensive care unit. 24.1% of the patients were admitted to a non-intensive care unit. 12.9% of the patients died in the emergency department, and 17.4% of the patients were able to be discharged home after treatment in the emergency department. Among the 635 patients registered for further care on an intermediate/intensive care unit by the emergency medical services, 21.8% were admitted to an intensive care unit, 58.2% of the patients were admitted to a non-intensive care unit. 3% of the patients died in the emergency department, and 17.0% of the patients were able to be discharged after treatment in the emergency department. The emergency departments play a crucial role in the allocation of intensive care unit beds by selecting appropriate patients and preventing misallocations.