Annals of emergency medicine
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Clinical Benefit of Hospitalization for Older Adults With Unexplained Syncope: A Propensity-Matched Analysis.
Many adults with syncope are hospitalized solely for observation and testing. We seek to determine whether hospitalization versus outpatient management for older adults with unexplained syncope is associated with a reduction in postdisposition serious adverse events at 30 days. ⋯ In our propensity-matched sample of older adults with unexplained syncope, for those with clinical characteristics similar to that of the discharged cohort, hospitalization was not associated with improvement in 30-day serious adverse event rates.
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Frequent users of the emergency department (ED) are often associated with increased health care costs. Limited research is devoted to frequent ED use within the increasing senior population, which accounts for the highest use of health care resources. We evaluate patient characteristics and patterns of ED use among geriatric patients. ⋯ Geriatric frequent users are likely to have comorbid conditions and be treated for conditions related to pain and injuries. These findings provide evidence to guide future interventions to address these needs that could potentially decrease frequent ED use among geriatric patients.