Observational studyBMC emergency medicine2026
Association between emergency department bed occupancy rate and in-hospital cardiac arrest in the emergency department: a retrospective study.
Observational study in BMC emergency medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is a critical event often preceded by signs of clinical deterioration. Emergency department (ED) overcrowding may compromise timely monitoring and intervention and may be associated with a higher occurrence of IHCA. The ED bed occupancy rate (EDBOR) is a quantifiable indicator of crowding. This study aimed to examine the association between EDBOR and the occurrence of IHCA in the ED.
methodsWe conducted a retrospective observational study at Thammasat University Hospital from January 2020 to December 2022. EDBOR at the time of IHCA was compared with EDBOR during routine ED operations using a case–control analogue design, with time points as the unit of analysis. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between EDBOR and IHCA occurrence, with additional sensitivity analyses across high-occupancy thresholds.
resultsDuring the three-year study period, 54,951 ED visits were recorded. EDBOR at the time of 125 IHCA events and 3,285 control time points was analyzed. Although the mean EDBOR at the time of IHCA was slightly higher than during control periods (75.5% vs. 70.5%), this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.275). Sensitivity analyses across multiple EDBOR thresholds (at least 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, and 80%) demonstrated a graded association, with a consistently higher likelihood of IHCA at higher occupancy levels. Among time points with EDBOR at least 60%, each 10–percentage-point increase in EDBOR was associated with a 10% increase in the odds of IHCA (adjusted odds ratio 1.10; 95% confidence interval 1.01 to 1.18; p = 0.02).
conclusionElevated EDBOR was significantly associated with an increased occurrence of IHCA in the ED. While causality cannot be inferred from this observational study and the findings should be considered hypothesis-generating, monitoring EDBOR during high-occupancy periods may help inform crowding mitigation strategies and departmental planning, pending validation in future studies.
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