Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the mortality rate in the emergency departments (EDs) of King Abdulaziz Specialist Hospital (KASH), Taif, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using data retrieved from the medical records of deceased patients admitted to the ED at KASH between June 1, 2016 and February 28, 2018. Information collected included patients’ age, gender, causes of fatal outcomes, and length of stay in the ED before death.
Results: Two hundred thirty-eight (0.05%) of the 429,132 patients who were admitted to the ED throughout the research period passed away. Of the patients who passed away, 67.6% were men, 42.4% were in the C1 category, and 35.3% spent less than an hour in the ED before passing away, with an average ED length of stay of 2.45 ± 2.91 hours. Road traffic accidents (RTA) (14.7%), gunshot wounds or falls (16.8%), cardiovascular disease (19.7%), and sudden death of unknown origin (34.9%) were the leading causes of death. RTA was responsible for 45.3% of trauma-related deaths, which made up 31.5% of all deaths. Younger patients (≤50 years), males, and those in the C1 patient category had a considerably greater rate of trauma-related mortality. Among trauma-related deaths (n = 75), the prevalence of RTA was significantly higher among younger patients (≤50 years) and among males.
Conclusion: The trauma-related mortality rate in the ED at KASH was relatively low, reflecting the high level of medical care provided.

Key words: Trauma, mortality, emergency department, Taif, Saudi Arabia