Analysis of clinical and demographic characteristics of patients presenting with renal colic in the emergency department.

Background: Renal colic (RC), is one of the most severe pain patterns which is most commonly diagnosed and managed in the emergency department (ED). This study is designed to evaluate the characteristics of adult patients presenting with pain and diagnosed with RC in the ED, length of stay in the ED and hospital and factors affecting these variables.

Methods: All consecutive adult patients who presented with side pain, flank pain, abdominal or groin pain and consequently diagnosed with urolithiasis or RC were analyzed retrospectively.

Hospital costs of managing deliberate self-poisoning in Turkey.

Background: Most published data on the characteristics and direct hospital costs of deliberate self-poisoning (DSP) were collected from developed countries. This study was conducted to investigate hospital costs of DSP cases and relevant factors in a university-based emergency department (ED) in Turkey.

Material/methods: All patients referred to the ED due to DSP in the one-year period between October 1, 2005, and September 30, 2006, were investigated prospectively.