Objective:

This study aims to understand the demographics and healthcare costs for patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Background:

Design/Methods:

We performed a retrospective, quantitative study utilizing the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (HCUP-NEDS) datasets from 2016 to 2020. ED visits in adult patients with the ICD-10 billing code related to TIA were analyzed. Multiple patient-level variables from the HCUP core datasets were utilized, including age, sex, median household income of residing zip code, patient disposition, and cost of care.

Results:

Between 2016 and 2020, 1,506,538 patients were reported with TIA. Patients on average were 70 ± 14.46 years old, and females comprised 56% (n=836,357) of the population. Over the five years, 450,855 (30%) TIA patients were from the lowest income group, and the highest income group consistently had the fewest TIA cases (n=290,027, 19%). The average charge for ED services rose by more than 55%, from $9,303 in 2016 to $14,503 in 2020. Patients discharged home with a TIA diagnosis from the ED peaked in 2019 with 150,746 (10%) patients and decreased to 141,370 (9%) in 2020. Admission rates to the hospital decreased from 131,545 (9%) in 2016 to 101,945 in 2020 (7%). Trends of increasing routine discharges and decreasing inpatient admissions may be related to broader factors like hospital capacity or external events (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic).

Conclusions:

More patients from low-income backgrounds presented with TIA, which was associated with rising healthcare costs. This emphasizes the importance of continued monitoring and resource allocation, particularly for lower-income populations.