Author(s): Barbosa, S ; Sequeira, M ; Castro, S ; Manso, RT ; Klut, C ; Trancas, B ; Santos, NB ; Maia, T
Date: 2016
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.10/1818
Origin: Repositório do Hospital Prof. Doutor Fernando Fonseca
Subject(s): Cause of death; Hospital psychiatry department; Hospital Prof. Dr. Fernando Fonseca, E.P.E.; Portugal; Causas de morte; Serviço de psiquiatria
INTRODUCTION: Psychiatric patients are at increased risk of death from a number of natural and unnatural causes. This study examines the mortality causes of all psychiatric inpatients of an acute psychiatric unit at a general hospital in Portugal for sixteen years (1998 to 2013). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-one inpatients died at the inpatient unit between 1998 and 2013 (average 1.3 per year). A retrospective study through case-file review was carried to collect demographic characteristics, medical and psychiatry diagnosis. Patients transferred to other wards during their admission were not included. RESULTS: Circulatory system diseases were the most prevalent causes of death, occurring in 2/3 of patients and include pulmonary embolism (n = 6), acute stroke (n = 3), cardiac arrhythmia (n = 2), acute myocardial infarction (n = 1), abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture (n = 1) and heart failure (n = 1). Two patients died with pneumonia and in four cases the cause of death was undetermined. Only one case of suicide was registered. DISCUSSION: Circulatory conditions were the most frequent causes of death in our inpatient unit. Albeit a relatively rare event, inpatient suicide does occur and, in addition to its complex consequences on staff, family and patients should remain a focus for continued prevention. CONCLUSION: Mortality studies are important for determining quality of health care and to create recommendations for preventive measures.
