Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients assessed by the ED for COPD exacerbation, sorted by hospital admission
| Predictors | N | Not admitted | Admitted | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender |
|
|
|
|
| Male |
188 (78.7%) |
78 (41.5%) |
110 (58.5%) |
NS |
| Female |
51 (21.3%) |
22 (43.1%) |
29 (56.9%) |
|
| Age |
|
|
|
|
| < 65 years |
37 (15.5%) |
16 (43.2%) |
21 (56.8%) |
NS |
| 65-75 years |
74 (31.1%) |
30 (40.5%) |
44 (59.5%) |
|
| >75 years |
127 (53.4%) |
54 (42.5%) |
73 (57.5%) |
|
| Manchester |
|
|
|
|
| 1 and 2 |
98 (41.17%) |
24 (24.5%) |
74 (75.5%) |
*** |
| 3 |
100 (42.0%) |
44 (43.6%) |
56(56.4%) |
|
| 4 and 5 |
40 (16.8%) |
32 (80.0%) |
8 (20.0%) |
|
| Gold |
|
|
|
|
| 0 |
102 (42.7%) |
52 (51.0%) |
50 (49.0%) |
* |
| 1 and 2 |
61 (25.5%) |
26 (42.6%) |
35 (57.4%) |
|
| 3 and 4 |
76 (31.8%) |
22 (28.9%) |
54 (71.1%) |
|
| Smoker |
|
|
|
|
| No |
50 (23.0%) |
24 (48.0%) |
26 (52.0%) |
NS |
| Yes |
34 (15.7%) |
16 (47.1%) |
18 (52.9%) |
|
| Former smoker |
130 (59.9%) |
51 (39.2%) |
79 (60.8%) |
|
| Passive smoker |
3 (1.4%) |
1 (33.3%) |
2 (66.7%) |
|
| Tachypnea |
|
|
|
|
| No |
149 (62.3%) |
76 (51.0%) |
73 (49.0%) |
*** |
| Yes |
90 (37.7%) |
24 (26.7%) |
66 (73.3%) |
|
| SBP |
|
|
|
|
| < 100 |
5 (2.1%) |
2 (40.0%) |
3 (60.0%) |
NS |
| 100-140 |
110 (46.2%) |
47 (42.7%) |
63 (57.3%) |
|
| >140 |
123 (51.7%) |
51 (41.5%) |
72 (58.5%) |
|
| DBP |
|
|
|
|
| <60 |
31 (13.5%) |
11 (35.5%) |
20 (64.5%) |
NS |
| 60-90 |
174 (76.0%) |
77 (44.3%) |
97 (55.4%) |
|
| >90 |
24(10.5%) |
12 (35.3%) |
22 (64.7%) |
|
| Ta |
|
|
|
|
| <37°C |
172 (72.0%) |
79 (45.9%) |
93 (54.1%) |
* |
| >37C |
67 (28.0%) |
21 (31.3%) |
46 (68.7%) |
|
| HR |
|
|
|
|
| <100 |
156 (65.5%) |
74 (47.4%) |
82 (56.2%) |
* |
| >100 |
82 (34.5%) |
25 (30.5%) |
57 (69.5%) |
|
| SaO2/FiO2 |
|
|
|
|
| <428.6 |
84 (35.1%) |
8 (9.5%) |
76 (90.5%) |
*** |
| >428.6 |
155 (64.9%) |
92(59.4%) |
63 (40.6%) |
|
| O2 at Home |
|
|
|
|
| No |
196 (82.0%) |
85 (43.4%) |
111 (56.6%) |
NS |
| Yes |
43 (18.0%) |
15 (34.9%) |
28 (65.1%) |
|
| Baseline Treatment |
|
|
|
|
| Oral Corticosteroids |
16 (6.7%) |
6 (37.5%) |
10 (62.5%) |
NS |
| Anticholinergics and/or saba and/or laba |
26 (11.3%) |
8 (30.8%) |
18 (69.2%) |
|
| Anticholinergics and/or saba and/or laba + Inhaled Corticosteroids |
140 (58.3%) |
63 (45.0%) |
77 (55.0%) |
|
| None of these (ALT, Theophylline..) |
55 (22.9%) |
23 (41.8%) |
32 (58.2%) |
|
| ED Treatment |
|
|
|
|
| Antibiotics |
|
|
|
|
| No |
102 (43.4%) |
61 (59.8%) |
41 (40.2%) |
*** |
| Yes |
133 (56.6%) |
39 (29.3%) |
94 (70.7%) |
|
| O2 |
|
|
|
|
| No |
26 (11.1%) |
23 (88.5%) |
3 (11.5%) |
*** |
| Yes |
209 (88.9%) |
77 (36.8%) |
132 (63.2%) |
|
| Systemic Corticosteroids |
|
|
|
|
| No |
64 (27.2%) |
40 (62.5%) |
24 (37.5%) |
*** |
| Yes |
171 (72.8%) |
60 (35.1%) |
111 (64.9%) |
|
| Inhaled/Nebulized Cortocosteroids |
|
|
|
|
| No |
183 (76.6%) |
85 (46.4%) |
98 (53.6%) |
** |
| Yes |
56 (23.4%) |
15(26.8%) |
41 (73.2%) |
|
| Any Nebulized Drugs |
|
|
|
|
| No |
44 (18.4%) |
22 (50.0%) |
22 (50.0%) |
NS |
| Yes |
195 (81.6%) |
78 (40%) |
117 (60%) |
|
| Beta-agonists |
|
|
|
|
| No |
39 (16.3%) |
24 (61.5%) |
15 (38.5%) |
** |
| Yes |
200 (83.7%) |
76 (38.0%) |
124 (62.0%) |
|
| Anticholinergics |
|
|
|
|
| No |
40 (17.1%) |
23 (57.5%) |
17 (42.5%) |
* |
| Yes |
194 (82.9%) |
77 (39.7%) |
117 (60.3%) |
|
| Anti-Leukotrienes |
|
|
|
|
| No |
232 (98.7%) |
100( 43.1%) |
132 (56.9%) |
NS |
| Yes |
3 (1.3%) |
0 (0.0%) |
3 (100%) |
|
| Theophyllines |
|
|
|
|
| No |
231 (98.3%) |
99 (42.9%) |
132 (57.1%) |
NS |
| Yes |
4 (1.7%) |
1 (25.0%) |
3 (75.0%) |
|
| Mucolytics |
|
|
|
|
| No |
206 (87.7%) |
87 (42.2%) |
119 (57.8%) |
NS |
| Yes |
29(12.3%) |
13 (44.8%) |
16 (55.2%) |
|
| Month |
|
|
|
|
| January-March |
78 (32.6%) |
33 (42.3%) |
45 (57.7%) |
NS |
| April-June |
59 (24.7%) |
23 (39.0%) |
36 (61.0%) |
|
| July-September |
52 (21.8%) |
23 (44.2%) |
29 (55.8%) |
|
| October-December |
50 (20.9%) |
21 (42.0%) |
29 (58.0%) |
|
| Day of the Week |
|
|
|
|
| Monday-Thursday |
150 (62.8%) |
62 (41.3%) |
88 (58.7%) |
NS |
| Friday-Sunday |
89 (37.2%) |
38 (42.7%) |
51 (57.3%) |
|
| Time |
|
|
|
|
| 0-8:00 |
38 (15.9%) |
12 (31.6%) |
26 (68.4%) |
NS |
| 8:00-16:00 |
113 (47.3%) |
48 (42.5%) |
65 (57.5%) |
|
| 16:00-24:00 |
88 (36.8%) |
40 (45.5%) |
48 (54.5%) |
|
| Hospital Readmissions |
|
|
|
|
| None |
201 (84.1%) |
90 (44.8%) |
111(55.2%) |
* |
| Any (Early or Late) |
38 (15.9%) |
10 (26.3%) |
28 (73.7%) |
|
| ED Readmissions |
|
|
|
|
| None |
228 (95.4%) |
96 (42.1%) |
132 (57.9%) |
NS |
| Any (Early or Late) |
11 (4.6%) |
4 (36.4%) |
7 (63.6%) |
|
| Number of Admissions |
|
|
|
|
| None |
82 (34.3%) |
79 (96.3%) |
3 (3.7%) |
*** |
| One |
120 (50.2%) |
12 (10.0%) |
108 (90.0%) |
|
| Two or More |
37 (15.5%) |
9 (24.3%) |
28 (75.7%) |
|
| Number of Emergencies |
|
|
|
|
| One |
166 (69.5%) |
64 (38.6%) |
102 (61.4%) |
NS |
| Two |
33 (13.8%) |
16 (48.5%) |
17 (51.5%) |
|
| Three or More |
40 (16.7%) |
20 (50.0%) |
20 (50.0%) |
|
| Length of the Crisis (Hours) |
|
|
|
|
| < 12 |
23 (10.8%) |
9 (39.1%) |
14 (60.9%) |
NS |
| 12-24 |
35 (16.4%) |
10 (28.6%) |
25 (71.4%) |
|
| 24-72 |
29 (13.6%) |
11 (37.9%) |
18 (62.1%) |
|
| >72 |
126 (59.2%) |
58 (46.0%) |
68 (54.0%) |
|
| Length of ED Stay (Hours) |
|
|
|
|
| < 4 |
63 (27.8%) |
38 (60.3%) |
25 (39.7%) |
*** |
| 4-8 |
50 (22.0%) |
23 (46.0%) |
27 (54.0%) |
|
| 8-18 |
58 (25.5%) |
20 (34.5%) |
38 (65.5%) |
|
| >72 |
126 (24.7%) |
11 (19.6%) |
45 (80.4%) |
|
| Hemoglobin |
|
|
|
|
| Low |
106 (44.7%) |
46 (43.4%) |
60 (56.6%) |
NS |
| Normal |
128 (54%) |
52 (40.6%) |
76 (59.4%) |
|
| High |
3 (1.3%) |
0 (0.0%) |
3 (100.0%) |
|
| Leukocytes |
|
|
|
|
| Leukopenia |
5 (2.1%) |
3 (60.0%) |
2 (40.0%) |
*** |
| Normal |
154 (64.4%) |
79 (51.3%) |
75 (48.7%) |
|
| Leukocytosis |
80 (33.5%) |
18 (22.5%) |
62 (77.5%) |
|
| Neutrophil count |
|
|
|
|
| Low |
3 (1.3%) |
1 (33.3%) |
2 (66.7%) |
*** |
| Normal |
127 (53.1%) |
69 (54.3%) |
58 (45.7%) |
|
| High |
109 (45.6%) |
30 (27.5%) |
79 (72.5%) |
|
| Urea |
|
|
|
|
| Low |
4 (1.8%) |
2 (50.0%) |
2 (50.0%) |
NS |
| Normal |
120 (52.6%) |
54 (45%) |
66(55.0%) |
|
| High |
104 (45.6%) |
33 (31.7%) |
71 (68.3%) |
|
| Emergencies the Year Before |
|
|
|
|
| None |
150 (62.7%) |
59 (39.3%) |
91 (60.7%) |
NS |
| One |
37 (15.5%) |
19 (51.4%) |
18 (48.6%) |
|
| Two or More |
52 (21.8%) |
22 (42.3%) |
30 (57.7%) |
|
| Hospital Admissions the Year Before |
|
|
|
|
| None |
178 (75.1%) |
75 (42.1%) |
103 (57.9%) |
NS |
| One |
37 (15.6%) |
16 (43.2%) |
21 (56.8%) |
|
| Two or More | 22 (9.3%) | 7 (31.8%) | 15 (68.2%) |
*p < 0.05.
**p < 0.01.
*** p < 0.001. NS = not significant.