Cause of Death in Emergency Department; a Brief Report

This epidemiologic study was aimed to identify the causes of death in the
emergency department of Imam Khomeini hospital in Urmia, Iran. Methods: This cross
sectional study was carried out on the profiles of all of the dead patients in the emergency
department of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Urmia, Iran who were admitted from April
2013 to March 2014. Demographic data and causes of death were extracted and were then
statistically analyzed using SPSS 21. Results: During the studied year, 396 patients were
dead in the emergency department, 207 of which were studied (68% male). Mean age for
the dead patients was 63.1±5.2 years (minimum 3 and maximum 94). 159 patients were
dead in the first 24 hours after admission and 48 in the next 24 hours. The most common
causes of death were figured to be respiratory illnesses (27.5%), heart diseases (21.3%)
and trauma (14%). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it seems that
respiratory illnesses, heart diseases and trauma are the most common causes of death in
the emergency department. Therefore, proper planning, educating the staff and equipping
the department appropriately can be effective in reducing the death rate