title: Emergency department visits after hours by lung cancer patients in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this study were to clarify frequency with which Japanese lung cancer patients visited an emergency department (ED) after hours and their final outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective and single institutional study. We reviewed medical records of patients who died of lung cancer from January 2008 to June 2012 at Osaka Police Hospital who had been followed up since diagnosis of lung cancer until death. We compared patients who had visited the ED after hours on weekdays, weekends, or holidays over their lives with cancer (ED visitors) and patients who had never visited the ED (non-ED visitors).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 245 patients met the inclusion criteria for analysis. There were 149 after hours ED visits by 106 lung cancer patients. Mean number of ED visits was 0.6 for all patients. Median interval from ED visit to death was 49 days. The most common chief compliant for these patients was respiratory problems (37.6%). Most patients visited the ED during chemotherapy (32.9%) or for best supportive care (42.3%). Directly after ED visits, 56.4% of ED visitors were finally hospitalized. In a multivariate analysis, performance status (PS) (odds ratio [OR]: 11.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.1-59.0, p = 0.004) and cancer stage (OR: 0.003, 95% CI: 0.0006-0.014, p < 0.001) at diagnosis were statistically associated with ED visits after hours.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Japanese patients with lung cancer frequently visit ED after hours. An ED visit is itself an indicator of poor prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Osaka Police Hospital, 10-31 Kitayama-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka 543-0035, Japan. seigominami@oph.gr.jp
authors.forename: Seigo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Minami
authors.forename: Suguru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ogata
authors.forename: Yoshiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: Masanari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hamaguchi
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koba
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Futami
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishijima
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Komuta
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy