Characteristics of patients with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease seen in the emergency department
| Characteristic | No. (%) of patients* n = 945 |
|---|---|
| Age, yr, mean ± SD | 72.6 ± 10.7 |
| Range | 49–99 |
| Sex, male | 488 (51.6) |
| Hospital site | |
| Kingston General | 218 (23.1) |
| Ottawa Hospital – Civic Campus | 255 (27.0) |
| Ottawa Hospital – General Campus | 256 (27.1) |
| University of Alberta (Edmonton) | 110 (11.6) |
| Mount Sinai (Toronto) | 85 (9.0) |
| Jewish General (Montréal) | 21 (2.2) |
| Arrival status | |
| Arrival by ambulance | 456 (48.3) |
| Temperature, °C, mean ± SD | 36.6 ± 0.9 |
| Heart rate, per minute, mean ± SD | 93.0 ± 19.5 |
| Respiratory rate, per minute, mean ± SD | 23.6 ± 5.9 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg, mean ± SD | 140.9 ± 25.6 |
| Sao2 by oximetry,† %, mean ± SD | 93.3 ± 5.5 |
| Duration of respiratory distress, h, mean ± SD | 87.0 ± 114.4 |
| Canadian Triage Acuity Scale score,‡ median (IQR) | 3 (2–4) |
| Secondary diagnosis of heart failure in emergency department | 96 (10.2) |
| Medical history | n = 943 |
| Heart failure | 199 (21.1) |
| Admission for respiratory distress | 268 (28.4) |
| Intubation for respiratory distress | 27 (2.9) |
| Myocardial infarction or angina | 254 (26.9) |
| Coronary bypass graft surgery or percutaneous coronary intervention | 103 (10.9) |
| Pacemaker | 43 (4.6) |
| Atrial fibrillation | 146 (15.5) |
| Peripheral vascular disease intervention | 36 (3.8) |
| Cancer | 137 (14.5) |
| Hypertension | 423 (44.9) |
| Stroke or transient ischemic attack | 81 (8.6) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 186 (19.7) |
| Chronic liver disease | 3 (0.3) |
| Mild dementia | 13 (1.4) |
| Chronic renal failure | 53 (5.6) |
| Smoker | n = 792 |
| Current | 250 (31.6) |
| Former | 432 (54.5) |
| Pack-years, mean ± SD (n = 546) | 41.8 ± 28.8 |
| n = 945 | |
| Home oxygen | 118 (12.5) |
| Current cardiac medications | 691 (73.1) |
| Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors | 262 (27.7) |
| Antiarrhythmics | 29 (3.1) |
| Anticoagulants | 160 (16.9) |
| Antiplatelet medications | 279 (29.5) |
| β-Blockers | 259 (27.4) |
| Calcium channel blockers | 201 (21.3) |
| Digoxin | 63 (6.7) |
| Diuretics | 337 (35.7) |
| Nitrates | 136 (14.4) |
| Statins | 323 (34.2) |
| Vasodilators | 13 (1.4) |
| Current respiratory medications | 847 (89.6) |
| Antibiotics | 190 (20.1) |
| Inhaled anticholinergics | 580 (61.4) |
| Inhaled β-agonists | 684 (72.4) |
| Inhaled steroids | 564 (59.7) |
| Oral steroids | 151 (16.0) |
| Theophylline | 31 (3.3) |
Note: IQR = interquartile range, Sao2 = arterial saturation of oxygen, SD = standard deviation.
↵* Except where indicated otherwise.
↵† Arterial saturation of oxygen by oximetry was measured on room air for ambulatory patients and on oxygen for patients who arrived by ambulance.
↵‡ Canadian Triage Acuity Scale ranges from 1 (most urgent) to 5 (least urgent).