Table 2.
Comparison of demographics, mode of presentation and presenting symptom between patients who left prior to and after completion of ED diagnostic work-up
| Patients who left the ED before the ED diagnostic work-up was complete (N = 156) | Patients who left the ED after complete ED diagnostic work-up (N = 125) | p value* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| age, mean (SD; IQR) | 40.6 (17.1; 27–53) | 47.5 (20.2; 30–61) | 0.005 |
| sex, M, N (%) | 72 (46%) | 70 (56%) | 0.12 |
| ED times in mins, mean (SD; IQR) | |||
| door-to-doctor time | 81.5 (96.0; 15–122) | 41.8 (74.4; 8–40) | < 0.001 |
| ED length of stay | 116.8 (159.5; 0–199) | 275.2 (351.9; 147–321) | < 0.001 |
| Mode of presentation, N (%) | |||
| Self-presenting | 88/125 (73%) | 61 (49%) | 0.09 |
| Emergency medical service (EMS) | 24/125 (20%) | 51 (41%) | < 0.001 |
| EMS with emergency physician | 8/125 (7%) | 13 (10%) | 0.18 |
| Presenting symptom according to Royl, 2010, N (%) | |||
| Ataxia/movement disorder | 2/112 (1.8%) | 1 (0.8%) | 1.00 |
| Impaired consciousness | 3/112 (2.7%) | 5 (4.0%) | 0.47 |
| Seizure | 21/112 (18.8%) | 23 (18.4%) | 0.32 |
| Headache | 32/112 (28.6%) | 10 (8.0%) | 0.004 |
| Other pain | 6/112 (5.4%) | 2 (1.6%) | 0.31 |
| Motor deficit | 4/112 (3.6%) | 17 (13.6%) | 0.001 |
| Confusion/amnesia | 3/112 (2.7%) | 5 (4.0%) | 0.47 |
| Disturbed vision | 8/112 (7.1%) | 10 (8.0%) | 0.46 |
| Sensory deficit | 11/112 (9.8%) | 23 (18.4%) | 0.005 |
| Impaired language/speech/swallowing | – | 12 (9.6%) | < 0.001 |
| Vertigo | 20/112 (17.9%) | 13 (10.4%) | 0.58 |
| Other neurological complaint | – | 1 (0.8%) | 0.45 |
| Non-neurological complaint | 2/112 (1.8%) | 3 (2.4%) | 0.66 |
*With Bonferroni correction (for 21 tests): statistical significance with p < 0.002