The pattern of Deaths in the Accident and Emergency Units of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital

Background: Background: Death is common in accidents and emergency units (AEU), and its causes vary. Some are brought-in-dead (BID) with unknown causes and contribute to hospital mortality statistics. This study aimed to determine the causes and patterns of death in the AEU of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria Methods: This was a 5-year retrospective study of all patients who died in the AEU of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, including those brought in dead. The information needed was extracted from the case notes and entered into SPSS version 23 for analysis. Results: A total of 7,682 patients were observed during the study period, with 275 deaths repre-senting a mortality rate of 3.6%. One hundred and fifty-six (56.7%) patients were BID. The mean age was 50.8 years. Most deaths (n=233, 84.7%) were from non-traumatic causes, with stroke and heart failure being the most common causes. Head injury (3.3%) was the most common traumatic cause of death. The median interval from presentation to death was 5 hours (IQR 3 – 6). Most patients (n=54, 45.4%) died within the first 8 hours of admission. None of the patients underwent an autopsy. Hypertension and diabetes were the most common co-morbid conditions reported. Conclusion: Brought-in-dead patients were the most commonly recorded death pattern in AEU at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, and the overall mortality rate was 3.6%. Non-traumatic causes are the leading causes of death.