Palliative care needs of advanced cancer patients in the emergency department at the end of life 59 Table 3. Characteristics of emergency department-visit and follow-up Visit- and follow-up characteristics n (% of 420) Diagnostic imaging 266 (63.3) Laboratory tests performed 350 (83.3) Clinical diagnosis Infection or fever 86 (20.5) Bronchopulmonary insufficiency 54 (12.9) Renal insufficiency or hydronephrosis 47 (11.2) Cachexia 40 (9.5) Ascites 34 (8.1) Pleural effusion 31 (7.4) Bleeding 30 (7.1) Jaundice 23 (5.5) Hypercalcemia 20 (4.8) Ileus or passage disturbances 18 (4.3) Neuropathy or plexopathy 17 (4.0) Seizure 13 (3.1) Urine retention 13 (3.1) Fracture 10 (2.4) Coma 8 (1.9) Pulmonary embolism 8 (1.9) Deep venous thrombosis 7 (1.7) Delirium 6 (1.4) Spinal cord compression 5 (1.2) Any treatment initiated at ED 230 (54.8) Time spent at ED, median (range) 03:29 (00:12-18:01) Limitations on life-sustaining treatmentsa Discussed, none documented 10 (2.4) Discussed and documented 297 (70.7) Not discussed 113 (26.9) Hospitalization after ED-visit 319 (76.0) Survival after ED-visit in days, median (95% C.I.) 18 (15-21) Death within 7 days after ED-visit 104 (24.8) Death within 14 days after ED-visit 170 (40.5) Death within 30 days after ED-visit 274 (65.2) Death within 60 days after ED-visit 370 (88.1) Place of death Hospitalb 124 (29.5) Home or residential home 165 (39.3) Hospice 46 (11.0) Nursing home 4 (1.0) Unknown 81 (19.3) List of abbreviations: ED = emergency department; IQ range = interquartile range; ICU = intensive care unit a during visit/after discharge. b 1 patient died at the ED (0.2%), 113 at a hospital ward (26.9%) and 10 at the ICU (2.4%). 3
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