The Most Common Reasons for Emergency Room Visits

Published on June 10, 2024

Emergencies are not scheduled, they happen without warning. Unlike pre-arranged medical appointments at a doctor’s office, emergency rooms must accept patients at any time, 24/7, and provide them with skilled care. An estimated 124 million Americans visit emergency rooms each year. Of those visits, 42 million were for injuries and the remainder were for illnesses. What are the most common reasons for emergency room visits around the country?

Chest Pain

Chest pain is a frequent reason people seek emergency care. About 7.6 million Americans suffer chest pains and go to the ER each year. Clinicians in the ER concentrate on recognizing or ruling out life-threatening medical conditions associated with chest pain. Chest pains may stem from problems with the heart, lungs, aorta, stomach, or esophagus.

Stomach or Abdominal Pain

At least 2,000 people per day seek emergency room care for stomach pain. Viral and bacterial infections are the most common diagnoses in those presenting with stomach or abdominal pain in emergency rooms; however, abdominal pain may also result from emergency medical conditions such as:

• Food poisoning
• Appendicitis
• Kidney stones
• Ulcers
• Diverticulitis

Fractures and Soft-Tissue Injuries

The most common injury-related reasons for emergency room visits are suspected fractures, sprains, strains, and torn ligaments. These injuries occur to individuals of all ages due to falls, car accidents, sports and recreational injuries, and workplace accidents. Patients typically present with pain, swelling, and discoloration in the area of the suspected fracture or soft-tissue injury. In cases of compound fracture, the patient could also have exposed bone.

Respiratory Infections

Those with respiratory and upper respiratory infections typically schedule appointments with their physicians but may seek emergency treatment at an ER if an upper respiratory infection causes difficulty breathing, fever, or pain, particularly when symptoms worsen after business hours or when respiratory infections cause difficulty breathing in children or the elderly.

Lacerations and Contusions

Accidental cuts or heavy bruising can warrant an ER visit, particularly when a laceration requires stitches or has heavy bleeding or when a contusion causes severe pain or a suspected sprain or fracture.

Accidental Poisoning

Over a million people seek treatment for accidental poisoning in emergency rooms each year. Poisonings may occur in the following ways:

• Drug overdoses
• Child poisoning through ingestion of household products or medications
• Workplace exposure to toxic chemicals
• Bites from venomous snakes or insects

Poisoning is an emergency medical situation requiring immediate treatment.

Back and Neck Pain

When back or neck pain becomes intolerable outside of normal business hours or if the pain appears suddenly after an accident, those suffering from symptoms like pain, stiffness, or loss of range of motion may seek diagnosis and/or treatment in an emergency room.

Skin Infections

When bacteria invade the body through an opening on the skin, the individual may develop an infection with symptoms like pain, redness, swelling, and fever. Skin infections require medical treatment with antibiotics and sometimes the removal of infected tissue, and can quickly become emergencies.

Headaches

When a headache becomes severe or includes other symptoms such as dizziness and vision problems, sufferers may seek emergency medical treatment in an ER for pain medication and/or to rule out a stroke, tumor, or other serious medical condition.

Bleeding During Pregnancy

Bleeding during pregnancy requires medical care at any stage of the pregnancy. Bleeding may signal a miscarriage in the first trimester, other medical problems in the second trimester including pre-term labor, or the beginning of labor during the third trimester.

Regardless of the reason for visiting an emergency room, patients have a right to expect prompt, skilled medical treatment. The doctors and other clinicians in emergency rooms have a duty of care to treat patients at the standard of care accepted by the medical community. If this duty is breached, consulting an experienced Arizona medical malpractice attorney can help you understand your legal options.