Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape's Coronavirus Resource Center.
This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Robert D. Glatter, MD: Hi. I'm Dr Robert Glatter, medical advisor for Medscape Emergency Medicine.
Today we'll be discussing an interesting study that was published by Dr Austin Kilaru, an adjunct assistant professor at Penn Medicine, and his colleagues. They looked at return visits and readmissions for ED patients diagnosed with COVID-19 within 1 week of their initial diagnosis and visit. The study found, interestingly, that slightly under 5% of the patients returned to the hospital and were admitted within 3 days of their initial ED visit, and just under 4% were hospitalized within a week. Overall, that's about 9% of patients being readmitted to the hospital after the first ED visit due to COVID-19.
Dr Ali Raja, associate professor of emergency medicine and executive vice chair of emergency medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, will also be joining us to discuss this important research.
Welcome, gentlemen.
Austin S. Kilaru, MD, MSHP: It's good to be with you.
Ali S. Raja, MD, MBA, MPH: Thank you for having us, Rob.
Glatter:We really appreciate it. Dr Kilaru, I'd like to begin with you.
New Pandemic Peril? Pretending It's Over as Case Numbers Rise
COMMENTARY
Why Are COVID Patients Returning to the ER After Discharge?
Robert D. Glatter, MD; Austin S. Kilaru, MD, MSHP; Ali S. Raja, MD, MBA, MPH
DisclosuresOctober 22, 2020
Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape's Coronavirus Resource Center.
This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Robert D. Glatter, MD: Hi. I'm Dr Robert Glatter, medical advisor for Medscape Emergency Medicine.
Today we'll be discussing an interesting study that was published by Dr Austin Kilaru, an adjunct assistant professor at Penn Medicine, and his colleagues. They looked at return visits and readmissions for ED patients diagnosed with COVID-19 within 1 week of their initial diagnosis and visit. The study found, interestingly, that slightly under 5% of the patients returned to the hospital and were admitted within 3 days of their initial ED visit, and just under 4% were hospitalized within a week. Overall, that's about 9% of patients being readmitted to the hospital after the first ED visit due to COVID-19.
Dr Ali Raja, associate professor of emergency medicine and executive vice chair of emergency medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, will also be joining us to discuss this important research.
Welcome, gentlemen.
Austin S. Kilaru, MD, MSHP: It's good to be with you.
Ali S. Raja, MD, MBA, MPH: Thank you for having us, Rob.
Glatter:We really appreciate it. Dr Kilaru, I'd like to begin with you.
Medscape Emergency Medicine © 2020 WebMD, LLC
Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Why Are COVID Patients Returning to the ER After Discharge? - Medscape - Oct 22, 2020.
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Authors and Disclosures
Authors and Disclosures
Authors
Robert D. Glatter, MD
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, New York, NY
Disclosure: Robert D. Glatter, MD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Austin S. Kilaru, MD, MSHP
Adjunct Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Pen Presbyterian Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Disclosure: Austin S. Kilaru, MD, MSHP, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Ali S. Raja, MD, MBA, MPH
Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Executive Vice Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
Disclosure: Ali S. Raja, MD, MBA, MPH, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.