Clinical Characteristics and Factors Associated with Same-encounter Hospital Admission Among Symptomatic Adults Presenting to the Emergency Department After COVID-19

Aim

To evaluate adults with previously documented severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection who presented to the emergency department with new or persistent symptoms at least 4 weeks after acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Materials and Methods: We examined presenting symptoms; demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory and imaging findings; and factors concurrently associated with all-cause hospital admission during the index post-acute emergency department encounter. Medical records of 760 patients with documented previous SARS-CoV-2 infection who presented to the emergency department between January 2020 and November 2022 were reviewed. Patients with ongoing polymerase chain reaction positivity (n=54), with complaints clearly unrelated to the post-acute presentation (n=74), with incomplete laboratory data (n=84), or aged <18 years (n=48) were excluded. The final cohort comprised 500 patients who presented at least 4 weeks after the documented acute COVID-19 diagnosis.