Table 1.
Characteristics of pediatric ED visits by asthma classification, 2001–2010
| Asthma | Non-Asthma | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of visits (col %) | No. of visits (col %) | p value | |
| Total | 5,841,628 (100%) | 205,232,589 (100%) | |
| Age | |||
| 2–5 years | 2,189,485 (37.5%) | 68,221,554 (33.2%) | <0.01 |
| 6–9 years | 1,534,378 (26.3%) | 41,849,082 (20.4%) | |
| 10–13 years | 1,093,068 (18.7%) | 40,619,837 (19.8%) | |
| 14–17 years | 1,023,697 (17.5%) | 54,542,116 (26.6%) | |
| Gender | |||
| Female | 2,321,433 (39.7%) | 97,888,803 (47.7%) | <0.01 |
| Male | 3,520,195 (60.3%) | 107,343,786 (52.3%) | |
| Race | |||
| NH white | 2,287,741 (39.2%) | 116,309,200 (56.7%) | <0.01 |
| NH black | 2,208,561 (37.8%) | 45,987,147 (22.4%) | |
| Hispanic | 1,172,623 (20.1%) | 36,548,807 (17.8%) | |
| Other | 172,703 (3.0%) | 6,387,435 (3.1%) | |
| Geographic Region | |||
| Northeast | 1,297,980 (22.2%) | 36,502,022 (17.8%) | <0.01 |
| Midwest | 1,415,000 (24.2%) | 47,145,755 (23.0%) | |
| South | 2,320,729 (39.7%) | 86,059,909 (41.9%) | |
| West | 807,919 (13.8%) | 35,524,903 (17.3%) | |
| MSA | |||
| Urban | 5,218,664 (89.3%) | 170,167,814 (82.9%) | <0.01 |
| Rural | 622,964 (10.7%) | 35,064,775 (17.1%) | |
| Insurance | |||
| Private | 2,143,936 (36.7%) | 88,055,285 (42.9%) | <0.01 |
| Medicaid/CHIP | 2,621,898 (44.9%) | 78,519,895 (38.7%) | |
| Self-pay/uninsured | 566,043 (9.7%) | 19,640,080 (9.6%) | |
| Other^ | 180,931 (3.1%) | 7,058,809 (3.4%) | |
| Missing | 328,820 (5.6%) | 10,958,520 (5.3%) | |
| Arrival | |||
| Ambulance | 117,958 (2.0%) | 2,844,930 (1.4%) | 0.29 |
| Walk-in | 1,076,776 (18.4%) | 40,972,632 (20.0%) | |
| Unknown | 4,646,894 (79.5%) | 161,415,027 (78.6%) | |
| Arrival Time | |||
| 7am–3pm | 2,041,342 (34.9%) | 68,148,287 (33.2%) | <0.01 |
| 3pm–11pm | 2,424,912 (41.5%) | 107,944,134 (52.6%) | |
| 11pm–7am | 1,334,589 (22.8%) | 27,214,840 (13.3%) | |
| Unknown | 40,785 (0.7%) | 1,925,328 (0.9%) | |
| Triage | |||
| <15 minutes | 1,236,284 (21.2%) | 21,978,909 (10.7%) | <0.01 |
| 15min–1 hr | 2,511,213 (43.0%) | 68,325,771 (33.3%) | |
| 1hr–2hr | 1,019,028 (17.4%) | 58,182,384 (28.3%) | |
| 2hr–24hr | 266,361 (4.6%) | 25,584,006 (12.5%) | |
| Unknown | 808,742 (13.8%) | 31,161,519 (15.2%) | |
| Arrival Day | |||
| Weekend | 1,886,067 (32.3%) | 63,103,434 (30.7%) | 0.36 |
| Weekday | 3,955,561 (67.7%) | 142,129,155 (69.3%) | |
| Discharged w/in 7 days | |||
| Yes | 35,216 (0.6%) | 1,454,745 (0.7%) | 0.52 |
| No | 2,135,931 (36.6%) | 78,874,421 (38.4%) | |
| Unknown | 3,670,481 (62.8%) | 124,903,421 (38.4%) | |
| Seen Before | |||
| Yes | 112,275 (1.9%) | 4,527,958 (2.2%) | 0.65 |
| No | 4,922,905 (84.3%) | 173,743,578 (84.7%) | |
| Unknown | 806,448 (13.8%) | 26,961,053 (13.1%) | |
| Abnormal Vitalsa | |||
| Any abnormal | 240,260 (4.1%) | 10,443,419 (5.1%) | 0.21 |
| All normal | 5,124,216 (87.7%) | 176,126,614 (85.8%) | |
| Any missing | 477,152 (8.2%) | 12,662,556 (9.1%) | |
| Discharge Status | |||
| Transfer | 79,405 (1.4%) | 2,922,524 (1.4%) | <0.01 |
| Admitted to hospital | 431,009 (7.4%) | 6,452,480 (3.1%) | |
| Discharged/left | 5,291,277 (90.6%) | 193,591,559 (94.4%) | |
| Unknown | 39,937 (0.7%) | 2,215,299 (1.1%) |
a
The range of normal for breaths per minute is 22 to 34 for those 2 to 5 years old, 18–30 for those 6 to 12 years old, and 12–16 for those older than 12 years. The range of normal for heart beats per minute is 80 to 140 for those 2 to 5 years old, 70 to 120 for those 6 to 12 years old, and 60 to 100 for those older than 12 years. The range of normal systolic blood pressure is 70 to 95 mm Hg for children 2 to 8 years old, and 90 to 140 mm Hg for those older than 8 years. Values that fell outside (above or below) these ranges were considered abnormal. Abnormal temperature was defined as a recorded temperature above 38°C/100.4°F. (see citations # 30 & 31)