Table 2.
Comparison of baseline characteristics between emergency department presentations admitted to critical care (cases) and presentations medically discharged directly from the emergency department (controls) gathered in the Euro-DEN Plus database over the 8-year period 2014–2021.
| Cases n (%), N = 3448 |
Matched Controls n (%), N = 3448 |
Absolute Standardized Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient demographics | |||
| Patient sex | |||
| Male | 2653 (76.9) | 2679 (77.7) | 0.02 |
| Female | 795 (23.1) | 768 (22.3) | |
| Missing | - | 1 (0.0) | |
| Patient age, years | |||
| Mean (SD) | 35.1 (10.9) | 33.0 (11.0) | 0.19 |
| ≤18 | 112 (3.3) | 191 (5.5) | 0.11 |
| 19–34 | 1685 (48.9) | 1865 (54.1) | 0.11 |
| ≥35 | 1633 (47.4) | 1369 (39.7) | 0.15 |
| Missing | 18 (0.5) | 23 (0.7) | |
| Calendar year of ED presentation occurrence | |||
| 2014 | 316 (9.2) | 275 (8.0) | 0.04 |
| 2015 | 308 (8.9) | 325 (9.4) | 0.02 |
| 2016 | 352 (10.2) | 271 (7.9) | 0.08 |
| 2017 | 458 (13.3) | 399 (11.6) | 0.05 |
| 2018 | 607 (17.6) | 532 (15.4) | 0.06 |
| 2019 | 527 (15.3) | 549 (15.9) | 0.02 |
| 2020 | 500 (14.5) | 594 (17.2) | 0.08 |
| 2021 | 380 (11.0) | 503 (14.6) | 0.11 |
| Time of arrival at the ED | |||
| During the night (from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.) | 1870 (54.2) | 1994 (57.8) | 0.07 |
| Missing | 9 (0.3) | 4 (0.1) | |
| During the weekend (from Friday 5 p.m. to Monday 8 a.m.) | 1555 (45.1) | 1622 (47.0) | 0.04 |
| Missing | 9 (0.3) | 4 (0.1) | |
| Clinical observations on arrival at the ED | |||
| Cardiac arrest | 142 (4.1) | 3 (0.1) | 0.28 |
| Missing | 1 (0.0) | 7 (0.2) | |
| Tachycardia (>100 beats per minute) | 986 (28.6) | 960 (27.8) | 0.01 |
| Missing | 165 (4.8) | 199 (5.8) | |
| Respiratory rate, breaths per minute | |||
| Bradypnoea (<12) | 519 (15.1) | 245 (7.1) | 0.28 |
| 12–20 | 1695 (49.2) | 2192 (63.6) | 0.47 |
| Tachypnoea (>20) | 590 (17.1) | 262 (7.6) | 0.32 |
| Missing | 644 (18.7) | 149 (21.7) | |
| Lactate, mmol | |||
| <1.3 | 846 (24.5) | 210 (6.1) | 0.14 |
| 1.3–2 | 540 (15.7) | 262 (7.6) | 0.28 |
| >2 | 1130 (32.8) | 300 (8.7) | 0.12 |
| Missing | 932 (27.0) | 2676 (77.6) | |
| Systolic blood pressure, mmHg | |||
| Mean (SD) | 123.9 (25.8) | 127.2 (19.9) | 0.14 |
| Hypotension (≤90) | 245 (7.1) | 66 (1.9) | 0.24 |
| Hypertension (≥180) | 77 (2.2) | 41 (1.2) | 0.07 |
| 91–179 | 2918 (84.6) | 2660 (77.2) | 0.24 |
| Missing | 208 (6.0) | 681 (19.8) | |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mmHg | |||
| Mean (SD) | 76.3 (19.2) | 77.1 (14.8) | 0.05 |
| Missing | 214 (6.2) | 684 (19.8) | |
| Hyperthermia (≥39 °C) | 107 (3.10) | 2 (0.06) | 0.27 |
| Missing | 641 (18.59) | 654 (18.97) | |
| Glasgow Coma Score | |||
| Alert | 718 (20.8) | 1915 (55.5) | 0.78 |
| Drowsy | 997 (28.9) | 1248 (36.2) | 0.16 |
| Coma | 1653 (47.9) | 212 (6.2) | 1.09 |
| Missing | 80 (2.3) | 73 (2.1) | |
| Drugs used for recreational purposes | |||
| Number of drugs used | |||
| One | 2109 (61.2) | 2206 (64.0) | 0.06 |
| >1 | 1339 (38.8) | 1242 (36.0) | |
| Mean (SD) | 2.5 (0.8) | 2.4 (0.7) | 0.13 |
| Drugs used in ≥ 5% of the ED presentations from the whole Euro-DEN Plus cohort over the 8-year period 2014–2021 | |||
| Cocaine | 629 (18.2) | 658 (19.1) | 0.02 |
| Cannabis | 376 (10.9) | 769 (22.3) | 0.31 |
| Heroin | 585 (17.0) | 744 (21.6) | 0.12 |
| GHB/GBL | 1143 (33.2) | 409 (11.9) | 0.53 |
| Amphetamine | 353 (10.2) | 458 (13.3) | 0.10 |
| MDMA | 244 (7.1) | 271 (7.9) | 0.03 |
| Ethanol co-ingestion | 1496 (43.4) | 1391 (40.3) | 0.23 |
| Missing | 1195 (34.7) | 926 (26.9) | |
| Clinical features of acute recreational drug toxicity | |||
| Agitation | 1298 (37.7) | 767 (22.2) | 0.34 |
| Missing | 28 (0.8) | 24 (0.7) | |
| Anxiety | 1152 (33.4) | 586 (17.0) | 0.39 |
| Missing | 29 (0.8) | 28 (0.8) | |
| Vomiting | 479 (13.9) | 336 (9.7) | 0.13 |
| Missing | 28 (0.8) | 27 (0.8) | |
| Seizures | 424 (12.3) | 74 (2.2) | 0.40 |
| Missing | 27 (0.8) | 28 (0.8) | |
| Hallucinations | 401 (11.6) | 191 (5.5) | 0.22 |
| Missing | 27 (0.8) | 28 (0.8) | |
| Arrhythmias | 386 (11.2) | 30 (0.9) | 0.45 |
| Missing | 126 (3.7) | 124 (3.6) | |
| Psychosis | 234 (6.8) | 131 (3.8) | 0.13 |
| Missing | 28 (0.8) | 26 (0.8) | |
| Headache | 187 (5.4) | 142 (4.1) | 0.06 |
| Missing | 30 (0.9) | 27 (0.8) | |
| Chest pain | 175 (5.1) | 227 (6.6) | 0.07 |
| Missing | 29 (0.8) | 28 (0.8) | |
| Palpitations | 129 (3.7) | 301 (8.7) | 0.21 |
| Missing | 26 (0.8) | 27 (0.8) | |
| Cerebellar features | 79 (2.3) | 57 (1.7) | 0.04 |
| Missing | 1430 (41.5) | 1667 (48.4) | |
An absolute standardized difference > 0.1 was interpreted as a meaningful difference. Abbreviations: SD, standard deviation; ED, emergency department; GHB/GBL, gamma-hydroxybutyrate/gamma-butyrolactone; MDMA, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine.