Heat Exposure and Emergency Department Visits for Sepsis in Phoenix, Arizona
Year: 2022
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: BACKGROUND AND AIM: Climate change is increasing exposures to high temperatures, which can lead to death and illnesses requiring emergency care. Sepsis, the body’s response to severe infection, is usually diagnosed in emergency departments (EDs). Little is known about outdoor temperatures as a risk factor for sepsis. Here, we assessed the association between temperature and sepsis-related ED visits in Phoenix, Arizona during 2016-2019. METHODS: We acquired ED visit data for Arizona and selected visits among patients residing within the two-county Phoenix area with a diagnosis of sepsis present on arrival at the ED. We characterized the focus of infection (FOI, respiratory, urogenital, abdominal, bone and soft tissue, blood) for each sepsis visit through diagnosis codes. Using daily population-weighted average maximum temperature data from Daymet, we estimated associations with sepsis and FOI-specific sepsis ED visits via Poisson time-series regression. RESULTS: During 2016-2019, there were 97 sepsis-related ED visits per day in Phoenix; the average daily maximum temperature was 30.5 degrees Celsius. Overall, we observed a positive association between same-day maximum temperature and sepsis-related ED visits (rate ratio: 1.014, 95% confidence interval: 1.000-1.028 for a 5 degree increase from 24 to 29 degrees Celsius). Associations were strongest in the warmer seasons of Spring, Summer, and Autumn. When stratifying by FOI, associations of same-day maximum temperature and ED visits for sepsis with infection of the urogenital area were positive; other FOIs showed null or negative (for blood) associations with temperature. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that outdoor heat exposure may be an important risk factor for sepsis, in particular during the warm season and for urogenital-based infections. During times of high heat, exposure mitigation measures may reduce emergency care needs, and emergency department preparedness may be needed to ensure positive outcomes for patients. KEYWORDS: Climate, Heat, Temperature, Sepsis, Morbidity
Source: ISEE Conference Abstracts
Institution: Emory University
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4316924936