List of Common Emergency Cases in the Hospital

To need emergency care a person traditionally would be in a life or death situation. The demographics of emergency cases, however, have changed and hospitals have emergency room visits for everything ranging from a severe cough to auto accidents. According to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, in a 2009 publication released by the department, "Our health care system has forced too many uninsured, rural and low-income Americans to depend on the emergency room for the care they need."

Children

• Statistics from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), a branch of the Health and Human Services Department, showed that injuries are the prevailing cause behind child-related emergency cases in the average U.S. hospital. Falls that resulted in deep cuts and sprained or broken limbs sent millions to the emergency room. Only 1.3 percent of the children ages 5 to 17 needed hospital admittance that required overnight care.

  Parents have a legitimate concern when their child is hurt, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, however, suggests that parents calmly assess the child's condition before making an emergency room visit. If possible, the hospital encourages parents to contact the child's primary physician for superficial wounds. Only in severe cases where breathing, consciousness, profuse bleeding and broken bones are in question should a parent seek emergency care.

Young Adults

• Reach out to someone when you feel depressed or experience suicidal thoughts; there are organizations ready to help you.

  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the federal government's lead agency for improving the quality of substance abuse prevention, revealed in a 2008 publication that 92.8 percent of emergency cases for young adults ages 18 to 24 were drug-related. In a record number of visits -- 604,808 -- U.S. hospitals admitted young adults for attempted suicide or overdosing unintentionally on illegal and prescription drugs.

  The publication also states, "With about 3,500 completed suicides among young adults in 2006...suicide ranks as the third leading cause of death in this age group." This fact has created an awareness in all U.S. hospitals that involved educating health care staff and creating specific follow-up care for patients admitted because of attempted suicide or drug overdose.

Elderly

• Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project released a 2009 statistical report stating that falls accounted for more than 2.1 million emergency cases among the elderly. These falls resulted in serious injuries such as internal organ damage, fractures and head injuries.