Background  

Little is known about the factors associated with frequency of emergency department visits (FEDV) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with recurrent exacerbations.

Objective  

To characterize the use of emergency department (ED) services in patients with COPD exacerbation and identify factors associated with FEDV.

Design  

A prospective, multicenter cohort study.

Patients  

Three hundred eighty-eight patients were included. Fifty-two percent were women and the median age was 69 years (interquartile range 62–76).

Measurements  

Using a standard questionnaire, consecutive ED patients with COPD exacerbation were interviewed. The number of ED visits in the previous year was retrospectively collected.

Results  

Over the past year, this cohort reported a total of 1,090 ED visits because of COPD exacerbation. Thirteen percent of COPD patients had 6 or more ED visits, accounting for 57% of the total ED visits in the past year. Multivariate analysis showed that patients with an increased FEDV were more likely to be Hispanic (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16–3.33), to have more severe COPD as determined by previous hospitalizations (IRR 2.06, 95% CI 1.51–2.82), prior intubations (IRR 1.49, 95% CI 1.02–2.18), prior use of systemic corticosteroids (IRR 1.57, 95% CI 1.16–2.13) and methylxanthine (IRR 1.48, 95% CI 1.04–2.12), and less likely to have a primary care provider (IRR 0.51, 95% CI 0.31–0.82).

Conclusions  

Our results suggest that both disease and health care-related factors were associated with FEDV in COPD exacerbation. Multidisciplinary efforts through primary care provider follow-up should be assessed to test the effects on reducing the high morbidity and cost of recurrent COPD exacerbations.