Introduction: The aim of this study was to identify factors influencing hospital stay due to pulmonary embolism.
Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients hospitalized between 2010 and 2015. Patients were identified using information recorded in hospital discharge reports (ICD-9-CM codes 415.11 and 415.19).
Results: We included 965 patients with a median stay of 8 days (IQR 6-13 days). Higher scores on the simplified Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (sPESI) were associated with increased probability of longer hospital stay. The probability of a hospital stay longer than the median was 8.65 (95% CI 5.42-13.79) for patients referred to the Internal Medicine Department and 1.54 (95% CI 1.07-2.24) for patients hospitalized in other departments, compared to those referred to the Pneumology Department. Patients with grade 3 on the modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale had an odds ratio of 1.63 (95% CI: 1.07-2.49). The likelihood of a longer than median hospital stay was 1.72 (95% CI: 0.85-3.48) when oral anticoagulation (OAC) was initiated 2-3 days after admission, and 2.43 (95% CI: 1.16-5.07) when initiated at 4-5 days, compared to OAC initiation at 0-1 days.
Conclusions: sPESI grade, the department of referral from the Emergency Department, the grade of dyspnea and the time of initiating OAC were associated with a longer hospital stay.
Keywords: Disnea; Dyspnea; Embolia pulmonar; Estancia hospitalaria; Hospital stay; Inicio de anticoagulación oral; Initiation of oral anticoagulation; Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index simplificado (sPESI); Pulmonary embolism; Simplified Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (sPESI).
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