Citation

Hostetler MA, Auinger P, Szilagyi PG. Am. J. Emerg. Med. 2002; 20(3): 139-143.

Affiliation

Department of Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, St. Louis Children's Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. mark_hostetler@kids.wustl.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11992329

Abstract

This article describes parenteral analgesic and sedative (PAS) use among patients treated in US emergency departments (EDs). Data representing 6 consecutive years (1992-1997) from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) were combined and analyzed. Patients were identified as having received PAS if they received fentanyl, ketamine, meperidine, methohexital, midazolam, morphine, nitrous oxide, or propofol. Patients were stratified according to age (pediatric <18 yrs), race, sex, insurance, type of hospital, urgency of visit, and ICD-9 (International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision) diagnostic codes. Logistic regression was performed to determine independent associations and calculate odds ratios (OR) for receiving analgesia or sedation. A total of 43,725 pediatric and 114,207 adult ED encounters were analyzed and represented a weighted sample of 555.3 million ED visits. For patients with orthopedic fractures, African-American children covered by Medicaid insurance were the least likely to receive PAS (OR 0.2, 95% confidence interval C. 0.1-0.6). These results suggest that variations may be occurring among ED patients receiving PAS.

Language: en