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- Title
Factors Influencing Length of Hospital Stay in Patients with Bacterial Pleural Effusion.
- Authors
Soriano, T.; Alegre, J.; Alemán, C.; Ruiz, E.; Vázquez, A.; Carrasco, J. L.; Segura, R.; Ferrer, A.; Fernández de Sevilla, T.
- Abstract
Background: Factors influencing length of hospital stay have been poorly analyzed in parapneumonic pleural effusions (PPE). Objectives: The aim of this work is to identify the variables that determine increased hospital stay in patients with infectious pleural effusion (PE). Patients and Methods: We analyzed 112 patients with PE: empyema, complicated parapneumonic and non-complicated parapneumonic. Epidemiologic, biochemical, therapeutic and radiological variables were analyzed. Correlations with hospital stay were studied using the Student’s t test, analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney U-test and linear regression model. Results: Among the 112 patients studied, there were 32 empyema, 50 complicated and 30 non-complicated parapneumonic cases. The median of length stay for all patients was 17 days. Longer hospitalization was required in patients with empyemic PE (p = 0.015), patients with underlying diseases (p = 0.003), those needing pleural drainage (p = 0.005) or decortication (p = 0.043) and those presenting unfavorable radiological outcome after treatment (p = 0.02). Biochemical parameters associated with longer hospital stay were elevated pleural fluid polymorphonuclear elastase (p = 0.001, r = 0.307) and lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.001, r = 0.312). After linear regression analysis, only underlying disease, pleural drainage and pleural fluid polymorphonuclear elastase values remained in the model, explaining 23.1% of the variability of days of hospitalization. Conclusions: The patients with PPE and empyema who required longer hospitalization were those with purulent fluid, underlying disease, surgical drainage and/or decortication, with unfavorable radiological outcome and higher pleural fluid levels of lactate dehydrogenase and polymorphonuclear elastase. Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel
- Subjects
LENGTH of stay in hospitals; PLEURAL effusions; EMPYEMA; HOSPITAL care; REGRESSION analysis
- Publication
Respiration, 2005, Vol 72, Issue 6, p587
- ISSN
0025-7931
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1159/000087366