title: [Emergency department activity during the 2003 summer heat wave].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Several thousands deaths were attributed to a heatwave during the summer of 2003 in Europe. The aim of this study was to analyze its consequences in an emergency department.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a descriptive observational study of the patients admitted to our emergency unit between 15 July and 31 August, 2003. We also carried out a comparative study of these patients with those admitted during the same period of 2002.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 5197 patients were admitted in our unit during the summer of 2003, in comparison with 4672 in the same interval in 2002. An increase in rates of total fever (17% versus 12%; p < 0.001), non-infectious fever (29% versus 26%; p < 0.001), decompensation of a chronic cardiovascular or respiratory disease (14% versus 11%; p < 0.001), admission (28% versus 22%; p < 0.001), and mortality (2% versus 1%; p < 0.001) were registered during the summer of 2003, in comparison with the previous year. A multivariate study showed a higher risk of death in patients older than 70 years (p < 0.01), in fragile dependent people (p < 0.05), and upon the presence of abnormal blood levels of creatinine (p < 0.05) on arrival at the emergency department. We also found an association between daily maxim temperature and number of daily emergency visits (R2 = 0.15; p < 0.001), total percentage of patients with fever (R2 = 0.26; p < 0.001), percentage of patients with non-infectious fever (R2 = 0.07; p = 0.01), percentage of decreases (R2 = 0.04; p < 0.05), and percentage of hospital admissions (R2 = 0.15; p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The summer 2003 heatwave resulted in an elevation of the total number of emergency visits and hospital admissions, and higher mortality and morbidity rates, especially in old people. In the future, preventive measures must be taken to limit the health consequences of any heatwaves to come.
authors: Servicio de Urgencias de Medicina, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.
authors: Olga
authors: O
authors: Trejo
authors: Oscar
authors: O
authors: Miró
authors: Gloria
authors: G
authors: de la Red
authors: Blanca
authors: B
authors: Collvinent
authors: Ernest
authors: E
authors: Bragulat
authors: Miguel A
authors: MA
authors: Asenjo
authors: Joan M
authors: JM
authors: Salmerón
authors: Miquel
authors: M
authors: Sánchez
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology