Table 3.

Diagnoses Given to Those With Missed AIS in the ED

Diagnosis Description	Percentage of All Missed Cases (n = 283)
Altered mental status	35.3% (n = 100)
Cardiac (other than MI)	11.7% (n = 33)
Myocardial infarction	6.7% (n = 19)
Infections	6.7% (n = 19)
Other neurologic diagnoses	6.0% (n = 17)
Renal/electrolyte problems/dehydration	6.0% (n = 17)
Found down/unresponsive	5.7% (n = 16)
Seizure	4.9% (n = 14)
Syncope/near-syncope	4.6% (n = 13)
Unknown	4.2% (n = 12)
Headache/migraine	3.9% (n = 11)
Gastrointestinal	3.5% (n = 10)
Respiratory (other than infectious)	2.8% (n = 8)
Trauma/injury	2.5% (n = 7)
Diabetes complications	2.1% (n = 6)

Cardiac diagnoses included atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, and cardiac arrest. Infectious diagnoses included pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and cellulitis. Other neurologic diagnoses included hypertensive encephalopathy, cerebral edema, Bell’s palsy, benign positional vertigo, and intracerebral mass. Gastrointestinal diagnoses included nausea/vomiting and gastrointestinal bleeding. Respiratory diagnoses included chronic obstructive respiratory disease and respiratory failure. Some patients were given multiple alternate diagnoses.

MI = myocardial infarction.