Table 1.
Comparison of Patient Characteristics Between Sexes
| Male N = 294 [95% CI] | Female N = 236 [95% CI] | Total N = 530 [95% CI] | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 47 [44–49] | 49 [46–52] | 48 [46–50] | 0.252 |
| Race (%) | 0.483 | |||
| African-American/Black | 52 (18) | 46 (20) | 98 (19) | |
| White | 190 (65) | 157 (67) | 347 (66) | |
| Hispanic | 49 (17) | 29 (12) | 78 (15) | |
| Other | 3 (1) | 4 (2) | 7 (1) | |
| Had medical insurance (%) | 224 (76) | 196 (83) | 420 (79) | 0.067 |
| Insurance type (%) | 0.011 | |||
| Private/HMO | 64 (22) | 66 (28) | 130 (25) | |
| Auto | 19 (7) | 11 (5) | 30 (6) | |
| Other | 14 (5) | 5 (2) | 19 (4) | |
| Medicare | 59 (20) | 50 (21) | 109 (21) | |
| Medicaid | 45 (15) | 54 (23) | 99 (19) | |
| Self-pay | 93 (32) | 50 (21) | 143 (27) | |
| Mean number of comorbidities (n = 470) | 2.2 (2.0–2.4) | 2.4 (2.2–2.6) | 2.3 (2.1–2.5) | 0.246 |
| No. of comorbidities (n = 470) (%) | 0.176 | |||
| 0 | 19 (7) | 7 (3) | 26 (6) | |
| 1–2 | 156 (61) | 130 (61) | 286 (61) | |
| 3–4 | 57 (22) | 53 (25) | 110 (23) | |
| ≥5 | 25 (10) | 23 (11) | 48 (10) | |
| Transported by ambulance/helicopter (n = 527) (%) | 235 (80) | 178 (76) | 413 (78) | 0.287 |
| Was there a delay in seeking medical attention? (n = 494) (%) | 67 (23) | 56 (24) | 123 (23) | 0.300 |
| Time from symptom onset to ED presentation (hours) (n = 494) | 12.6 [7.7–17.4] | 10.8 [7.7–13.9] | 11.8 [8.8–14.8] | 0.572 |
| Family or friend present (n = 518) (%) | 138 (48) | 126 (55) | 264 (51) | 0.111 |
| History of substance abuse (%) | 66 (22) | 27 (11) | 93 (18) | 0.001 |
| GCS score (%) | 0.504 | |||
| <8 | 34 (12) | 19 (8) | 53 (10) | |
| 9–12 | 20 (7) | 17 (7) | 37 (7) | |
| 13–15 | 180 (61) | 156 (66) | 336 (63) | |
| Not recorded | 60 (20) | 44 (19) | 104 (20) | |
| Chief complaint (%) | 0.067 | |||
| Trauma | 81 (28) | 51 (22) | 132 (25) | |
| AMS | 20 (7) | 20 (9) | 40 (8) | |
| TIA/stroke | 57 (19) | 45 (19) | 102 (19) | |
| Seizure | 112 (38) | 93 (39) | 205 (39) | |
| Headache | 6 (2) | 14 (6) | 20 (4) | |
| Syncope | 7 (2%) | 5 (2%) | 12 (2%) | |
| Weakness/dizziness | 5 (2%) | 2 (1%) | 7 (1%) | |
| Fever | 4 (1%) | 0 (0) | 4 (1%) | |
| Pain/other | 2 (1%) | 6 (3%) | 8 (2%) |
HMO, health maintenance organization; ED, emergency department; GCS, Glasgow Coma Scale; AMS, altered mental status; TIA, transient ischemic attack; CI, confidence interval.