The objectives of this study were to determine the clinical characteristics of patients who presented to the Reanimation Unit (RU) of a second-level hospital during one year, and the number and type of emergency procedures performed.

A cross-sectional study was designed that enrolled all patients >15 years of age who presented to the RU from 01 January through 31 December 2003. The age, gender, diagnosis, site of origin, and disposition of each patient was recorded, as well as the distribution by time of day, the number and type of emergency procedures performed, complications, and mortality rate.

Of the 3,741 patients enrolled in the study, 57.0% were male; predominantly 41–50 years old (20%). Most patients presented to the RU from their homes during the afternoon.There were 60 different admission diagnoses: more of the emergencies were for medical than for traumatic emergencies. The predominant pathologies were bronchospasm, hypertensive crisis, and upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Initially, patients either were admitted to the observation unit, the consulting office for the emergency department, or the intensive care unit. There were a total of 2,753 emergency procedures performed: orotracheal intubations were the most common, followed by installation of a catheter into the central venous circulation. Of all of the patients admitted to the RU, 31% were not insured.

There exists a remarkable combination between medical and traumatic emergencies, which is not encountered frequently in other second level-hospitals in Mexico City. A high proportion of the patients who received medical attention were not insured and there were a large number of emergency invasive procedures performed.