Acute Medical Diagnoses Are Common in "Found Down" Adult Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department as Trauma.

Background: Patients often present to the emergency department (ED) as "found down," with limited history to suggest a primary traumatic or medical etiology.

Objective: The study objective was to describe the characteristics of "found down" adult patients presenting to the ED as trauma, specifically the incidence of acute medical diagnoses and major trauma.

Methods: Using an institutional trauma registry, we reviewed trauma activations with the cause of injury "found down" between January 2008 and December 2012.