Patient and emergency department visit characteristics and outcomes for patients with cellulitis
| Characteristic | No. (%) of patients* | Standardized difference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total n = 160 788 | Pandemic period n = 47 886 | Control period n = 112 902 | ||
| Demographics | ||||
| Age, yr | ||||
| 18–64 | 106 726 (66.4) | 31 960 (66.7) | 74 765 (66.2) | 0.01 |
| ≥ 65 | 54 062 (33.6) | 15 925 (33.3) | 38 137 (33.8) | 0.01 |
| Sex | ||||
| Female | 72 098 (44.8) | 20 888 (43.6) | 51 210 (45.4) | 0.03 |
| Rural | ||||
| Urban | 133 276 (85.2) | 39 637 (85.0) | 93 639 (85.3) | 0.01 |
| Rural | 23 124 (14.8) | 6991 (15.0) | 16 133 (14.7) | 0.01 |
| Income quintile | ||||
| 1 (high) | 41 606 (26.0) | 12 563 (26.4) | 29 043 (25.8) | 0.01 |
| 2 | 33 627 (21.0) | 10 101 (21.2) | 23 526 (20.9) | 0.01 |
| 3 | 30 571 (19.1) | 8949 (18.8) | 21 622 (19.2) | 0.01 |
| 4 | 28 181 (17.6) | 8358 (17.5) | 19 823 (17.6) | 0 |
| 5 (low) | 26 060 (16.3) | 7689 (16.1) | 18 371 (16.3) | 0.01 |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| ADG score | ||||
| Mean ± SD | 11.46 ± 4.83 | 11.47 ± 4.83 | 11.45 ± 4.83 | 0 |
| Median (IQR) | 12 (8–15) | 12 (8–15) | 12 (8–15) | 0.01 |
| Coronary artery disease | 17 649 (11.0) | 5140 (10.7) | 12 509 (11.1) | 0.01 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 29 535 (18.4) | 8871 (18.5) | 20 664 (18.3) | 0.01 |
| Congestive heart failure | 15 741 (9.8) | 4641 (9.7) | 11 100 (9.8) | 0 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 40 828 (25.4) | 12 095 (25.3) | 28 733 (25.4) | 0 |
| Hypertension | 68 935 (42.9) | 20 155 (42.1) | 48 780 (43.2) | 0.02 |
| Asthma | 33 642 (20.9) | 10 332 (21.6) | 23 310 (20.6) | 0.02 |
| Cancer | 7304 (4.5) | 2098 (4.4) | 5206 (4.6) | 0.01 |
| Stroke | 5131 (3.2) | 1456 (3.0) | 3675 (3.3) | 0.01 |
| Liver failure | 2020 (1.3) | 646 (1.3) | 1374 (1.2) | 0.01 |
| Renal failure | 9188 (5.7) | 2692 (5.6) | 6496 (5.8) | 0.01 |
| ED characteristics | ||||
| Weekday ED visit (Monday to Friday) | 114 962 (71.5) | 34 581 (72.2) | 80 381 (71.2) | 0.02 |
| Time of ED visit | ||||
| Day (08:00–16:59) | 95 050 (59.1) | 29 088 (60.7) | 65 962 (58.4) | 0.05 |
| Evening (17:00–23:59) | 49 625 (30.9) | 14 131 (29.5) | 35 494 (31.4) | 0.04 |
| Night (00:00–07:59) | 16 113 (10.0) | 4667 (9.7) | 11 446 (10.1) | 0.01 |
| Hospital type | ||||
| Community | – | – | – | 0 |
| Pediatric | – | – | – | |
| Small | – | – | – | 0.01 |
| Teaching | – | – | – | 0 |
| Outcomes | ||||
| Ambulance arrival | 13 063 (8.1) | 4337 (9.1) | 8726 (7.7) | 0.05 |
| Hospital admission | 11 851 (6.9) | 3552 (7.4) | 8299 (7.4) | 0 |
| Hospital admission within 30 d of discharge | 9819 (6.1) | 2870 (6.0) | 6949 (6.2) | 0.01 |
| 30-d mortality | 1208 (0.8) | 364 (0.8) | 844 (0.7) | 0 |
Note: ADG = adjusted diagnostic groups, ED = emergency department, IQR = interquartile range, SD = standardized difference.
↵* Unless indicated otherwise. Some cells suppressed to prevent back calculation.