Geriatric mortality risk factors in emergency department for non-traumatic abdominal pain

The study aimed to determine the factors affecting the mortality of geriatric patients presenting to the emergency department with non-traumatic abdominal pain, as well as the associations of these factors with mortality.

With the increasing number of elderly patients, early recognition of patients with risk-bearing diagnoses is crucial.

This prospective cross-sectional study included 466 patients over 65 years of age who were admitted to THE emergency department of a tertiary hospital and consented to participate. Data was collected on patient demographics, vital signs, chronic diseases, laboratory investigations, diagnoses, disposition, and 30-day mortality.

The results showed that the mean patient age was 74.42 years, with 47.4 % being male and 52.6 % female. 15.6 % of the patients had nonspecific causes. The risk of mortality within one month was 5.797 times higher in patients with neurological diseases and 5.183 times higher in those with a history of surgery. A one-unit decrease in hemoglobin increased the mortality risk by 0.656 times.

This study highlights the importance of careful evaluation of elderly patients with neurological diseases, previous surgical history, and anemia in the emergency department with non-traumatic abdominal pain (Tab. 5, Ref. 18).