Emergency department visits and inpatient hospitalizations among older patients with brain metastases: a dual population- and institution-level analysis.

BACKGROUND

Older patients with brain metastases (BrM) commonly experience symptoms that prompt acute medical evaluation. We characterized emergency department (ED) visits and inpatient hospitalizations in this population.

METHODS

We identified 17 789 and 361 Medicare enrollees diagnosed with BrM using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database (2010-2016) and an institutional database (2007-2016), respectively. Predictors of ED visits and hospitalizations were assessed using Poisson regression.

RESULTS

The institutional cohort averaged 3.3 ED visits/1.9 hospitalizations per person-year, with intracranial disease being the most common reason for presentation/admission. SEER-Medicare patients averaged 2.8 ED visits/2.0 hospitalizations per person-year. For patients with synchronous BrM (N = 7834), adjusted risk factors for ED utilization and hospitalization, respectively, included: male sex (rate ratio [RR] = 1.15 [95% CI = 1.09-1.22], < .001; RR = 1.21 [95% CI = 1.13-1.29], < .001); African American vs white race (RR = 1.30 [95% CI = 1.18-1.42], < .001; RR = 1.25 [95% CI = 1.13-1.39], < .001); unmarried status (RR = 1.07 [95% CI = 1.01-1.14], = .02; RR = 1.09 [95% CI = 1.02-1.17], = .01); Charlson comorbidity score >2 (RR = 1.27 [95% CI = 1.17-1.37], < .001; RR = 1.36 [95% CI = 1.24-1.49], < .001); and receipt of non-stereotactic vs stereotactic radiation (RR = 1.44 [95% CI = 1.34-1.55, < .001; RR = 1.49 [95% CI = 1.37-1.62, < .001). For patients with metachronous BrM (N = 9955), ED visits and hospitalizations were more common after vs before BrM diagnosis (2.6 vs 1.2 ED visits per person-year; 1.8 vs 0.9 hospitalizations per person-year, respectively; RR = 2.24 [95% CI = 2.15-2.33], < .001; RR = 2.06 [95% CI = 1.98-2.15], < .001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Older patients with BrM commonly receive hospital-level care secondary to intracranial disease, especially in select subpopulations. Enhanced care coordination, closer outpatient follow-up, and patient navigator programs seem warranted for this population.