[Faintness in emergency departments is frequent, benign but expensive: An epidemiologic study of hospitalization's risk factors to reduce overcrowdings of emergency departments].
BACKGROUND
We assessed (i) the frequency of consultations for faintness in the Emergency department (ED) of a University hospital centre (UHC), (ii) clinical epidemiology and (iii) cost of faintness, taking a particular interest into the determining risk factors for hospitalization.


METHODS
This epidemiological study has been conducted retrospectively, from data obtained for every patient having consulted for faintness in ED of Reims UHC (01/01/12-03/31/12). Every medical record was classified as syncope/lipothymia/brief consciousness loss on one hand and as syncope according to the definition of the French Health High Authority (FHHA).


RESULTS
Three hundred and forty-one patients out of 5953 (5.7%) were referred for faintness during the study period. Medical records were analysed for 296 patients. Sixty-two point eight percent were women, with a median age of 43years. Physical examination was normal for 57% of patients. For 48% of cases, there was no complete consciousness loss thus corresponding to lipothymia, which is not taken into account by the FHHA definition. Median length of stay in the ED was 4hours and 67 patients (22.6%) were hospitalized. Minimal estimated cost was 280,000 euros. Risk factors independently associated with hospitalization were age≥60 and complete consciousness loss unlike predisposing circumstances to vagal hypertonia.


CONCLUSIONS
Age≥60 and complete consciousness loss seemed to be associated with hospitalization.
Service d'accueil des urgences, hôpital Maison-Blanche, 51, rue Cognacq-Jay, 51100 Reims, France; Service de médecine interne, maladies infectieuses et immunologie clinique, hôpital Robert-Debré, avenue du Général-Koenig, 51100 Reims, France.
E
E
Gedda
Service de médecine interne, maladies infectieuses et immunologie clinique, hôpital Robert-Debré, avenue du Général-Koenig, 51100 Reims, France.
A
A
Robbins
Service de médecine interne, maladies infectieuses et immunologie clinique, hôpital Robert-Debré, avenue du Général-Koenig, 51100 Reims, France.
M
M
Hentzien
Service de médecine interne, maladies infectieuses et immunologie clinique, hôpital Robert-Debré, avenue du Général-Koenig, 51100 Reims, France.
A
A
Giltat
Service d'accueil des urgences, hôpital Maison-Blanche, 51, rue Cognacq-Jay, 51100 Reims, France.
V
V
Pinel-Petit
Service d'accueil des urgences, hôpital Maison-Blanche, 51, rue Cognacq-Jay, 51100 Reims, France.
J
J
Souille
Service de médecine interne, maladies infectieuses et immunologie clinique, hôpital Robert-Debré, avenue du Général-Koenig, 51100 Reims, France. Electronic address: yohan.nguyen@wanadoo.fr.
Y
Y
N'Guyen
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003441:Crowding; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013575:Syncope / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D014218:Triage / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult
Emergency department; Faintness; Loss of consciousness; Perte de conscience; Service des urgences médicales; Syncope