Emergency department characteristics and associations with intensive care admission among patients with coronavirus disease 2019

OBJECTIVE: There have been few descriptions in the literature to date specifically examining initial coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patient presentation to the emergency department (ED) and the trajectory of patients who develop critical illness. Here we describe the ED presentation and outcomes of patients with COVID‐19 presenting during our initial local surge. METHODS: This is a multicenter, retrospective cohort study using data extracted from the electronic health records at 3 hospitals within a single health system from March 1, 2020 to June 1, 2020. Patients were included in the study if they presented to an ED and had laboratory‐confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection during the study period. Data elements were extracted from the electronic health record electronically and by trained data abstractors and entered into a secure database. We used multivariable regression analysis to examine ED factors associated with the development of critical illness and mortality, with a primary outcome of ICU admission. RESULTS: A total of 330 patients with laboratory‐confirmed SARS‐CoV‐2 infection were admitted during the study period. Of these, 112 (34%) were admitted to the ICU. Among these patients, 20% were female, 50% were White, the median age was 61 (interquartile range [IQR], 52–72), and the median body mass index (BMI) was 28.1 (IQR, 24.3–35.1). On univariable analysis, a doubling of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (odds ratio [OR], 3.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.40–6.27) or high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hsCRP; OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.11–1.57) above the reference range or elevated troponin (OR, 12.1; 95% CI, 1.20–121.8) were associated with ICU admission. After adjusting for age, sex, and BMI, LDH was the best predictor of ICU admission (OR, 3.54; 95% CI, 2.12–5.90). Of the patients, 15% required invasive mechanical ventilation during their hospital course, and in‐hospital mortality was 19%. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly one‐third of ED patients who required hospitalization for COVID‐19 were admitted to the ICU, 15% received invasive mechanical ventilation, and 19% died. Most patients who were admitted from the ED were tachypneic with elevated inflammatory markers, and the following factors were associated with ICU admission: elevated hsCRP, LDH, and troponin as well as lower oxygen saturation and increased respiratory rate.