Brief Highlights:

·         In 2007, there were 116.8 million ED visits or 39.4 visits per 100 persons

·         There were about 222 visits to U.S. EDs every minute during 2007.

·         The annual number of visits to EDs has increased by 23 percent since 1997, while the annual visit rate increased by 11 percent.

·         About 18.6 percent of visits by children younger than 15 years of age were to pediatric EDs.

·         The age group with highest annual ED visit rate was infants under 12 months old (88.5 visits per 100 U.S. infants). This represents about 3.8 million visits.

·         Patients arrived in EDs by ambulance for about 18 million (15.5 percent) visits.

·         About 44.9 percent of patients 75 years of age or over arrived at EDs by ambulance

·         For 64.7 percent of visits, patients arrived in EDs during nonbusiness hours

·         The leading reasons for visits among children (under age 15 years) were fever, cough, and vomiting

·         The leading reasons given by patients aged 15–64 years for visiting the ED were chest pain and abdominal pain

·         The leading reasons given by older patients (aged 65 years or over) for visiting the ED were chest pain, shortness of breath, and abdominal pain

To view the complete report please visit http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr026.pdf