[Mortality among hospitalized patients did not appear to increase during the summer]

A retrospective review of medical records (2017-2018) at Linköping University Hospital compared hospital mortality for the 2-month period of summer vacations (group A) with two months of regular activity (group B). The mortality was 163 patients in group A and 216 in group B. Emergency admittance dominated (95%) in both groups. Comorbidity was found in 81%, and at admittance the risk for death during the hospital stay was estimated to more than 50% in three out of four patients. There was no difference between the groups regarding demography, hospital stay, or diagnosis. Due to a 30% reduction of hospital beds during the summer some patients were relocated to other specialties. No relocated patient died in group A but six in group B. Eight deaths were judged as probably preventable, but none definitely preventable. The similarity between the groups regarding mortality does not allow estimations of differences in adverse events in general. Low mortality among relocated patients is probably due to identification of high-risk patients not suitable for relocation.