Analysis of childhood mortality in emergency department

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the present study was to analyze the mortality rate, demographic characteristics and cause of death in pediatric patients who were referred to our emergency department. Methods: Patients aged 0-18 years with or without arrest within 24 hours of referral, who died due to any reason in the adult and pediatric emergency departments between January, 1, 2016 and June, 31, 2018, were enrolled and the files were reviewed retrospectively. Results: A total of 82 children, 39 girls (47.6%) and 43 (52.4%) boys-were included in the study. The average age of the children was 66.96±74.61 months (0.03-204 months). In consideration of the seasons, the majority of child deaths in the emergency department occurred during the winter months (35.4%). Excluding the causes other than trauma, the most common reason for arrest was cardiac (39.3%) and respiratory (36.1%) diseases. It was detected that the majority of patients died within a few hours of admission to the emergency department (59.8%). Conclusion: Since most deaths occur within the first 4 hours of admission to pediatric emergency room, childhood cardiovascular and respiratory system diseases require careful evaluation.