Abstract: FR-PO1053
A Nationwide Analysis of Emergency Department Use Among Patients with and Without ESKD
Session Information
- Hemodialysis: Clinical Challenges, Patient-Centered Outcomes, and Quality of Life
October 23, 2026 | Location: Exhibit Hall A, Convention Center
Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Category: Dialysis
- 801 Dialysis: Hemodialysis and Frequent Dialysis
Authors
- Manadan, Leena M., Rush University, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Thomas, Serena C., Rush University, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Whittier, William Luke, Rush University, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Background
End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is associated with high morbidity, mortality, and frequent healthcare utilization. Contemporary national data on emergency department (ED) visits among patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) remain limited.
Methods
We performed retrospective study of Adult ED visits with and without ESKD in the 2022 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS). Reasons for ED visits were categorized into 19 mutually exclusive groups based on the principal billing diagnosis (ICD-10 code).
Results
Among 111,380,274 ED visits in the NEDS 2022 database, 1,716,702 (1.5%) involved patients with ESKD (figure). Compared with non-ESKD ED visits, ESKD visits occurred more frequently in older patients (median age 62 vs 49 years), men (55.2% vs 44.2%), African American (34.2% vs 18.6%) and Hispanic patients (21.0% vs 15.0%) (all p<0.001). ESKD had higher median ED charges ($4,615 vs $3,773), hospital admission (49.0% vs 16.7%), ED mortality (0.4% vs 0.2%) and in-hospital mortality (2.9% vs 0.6%) (all p<0.001).
The reason for the ED visit differed substantially between patients with and without ESKD, with ESKD visits more frequently associated with cardiovascular (CV) (26.5% vs 6.2%), endocrine (11.6% vs 2.3%), infectious (6.8% vs 3.6%), and hematology/oncology diagnoses (2.0% vs 1.4%) (all p<0.001).
Conclusion
ED visits among patients with ESKD represent a high-acuity population characterized by older age, disproportionate racial minority representation, high hospital admission rates and high mortality. The predominance of CV, endocrine, and infectious conditions highlights the multisystem burden of ESKD and underscores the need for targeted outpatient management and preventive strategies to minimize ED visits and hospitalizations.