Background: As of writing, there are no publications pertaining to the prediction of COVID-19-related outcomes and length of stay in patients from Slovene hospitals.
Objectives: To evaluate the length of regular ward and ICU stays and assess the survival of COVID-19 patients to develop better prediction models to forecast hospital capacity and staffing demands in possible further pandemic peaks.
Methods: In this retrospective, single-site study we analysed the length of stay and survival of all patients, hospitalized due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) at the peak of the second wave, between November 18th 2020 and January 27th 2021 at the University Clinic Golnik, Slovenia.
Results: Out of 407 included patients, 59% were male. The median length of stay on regular wards was 7.5 (IQR 5-13) days, and the median ICU length of stay was 6 (IQR 4-11) days. Age, male sex, and ICU stay were significantly associated with a higher risk of death. The probability of dying in 21 days at the regular ward was 14.4% (95% CI [10.9-18%]) and at the ICU it was 43.6% (95% CI [19.3-51.8%]).
Conclusion: The survival of COVID-19 is strongly affected by age, sex, and the fact that a patient had to be admitted to ICU, while the length of hospital bed occupancy is very similar across different demographic groups. Knowing the length of stay and admission rate to ICU is important for proper planning of resources during an epidemic.
Ozadje: Podatki o času bolnišničnega bivanja in preživetju bolnikov, hospitaliziranih zaradi COVID-19 v slovenskih bolnišnicah, v strokovni literaturi še niso objavljeni.
Cilji: Opredeliti čas bolnišničnega bivanja na navadnem in intenzivnem oddelku ter hospitalno umrljivost bolnikov zaradi s koronavirusne bolezni 2019 (COVID-19) povezanih vzrokov, kar bi lahko olajšalo načrtovanje bolnišničnih kapacitet v prihodnjih valovih pandemije.
Metode: Opravili smo retrospektivno analizo podatkov o vseh bolnikih, ki so bili zaradi COVID-19 hospitalizirani na Univerzitetni kliniki Golnik med vrhom drugega vala epidemije, in sicer med 18. novembrom 2020 in 27. januarjem 2021.
Rezultati: Od vključenih 407 bolnikov jih je bilo 59 % moškega spola. Srednja vrednost dolžine bolnišničnega bivanja je na navadnem oddelku znašala 7,5 (IKR 5–13) dni, v enoti intenzivne terapije (EIT) pa 6 (IKR 4–11) dni. Starost, spol in premestitev v EIT so bili značilno povezani z večjo umrljivostjo. 21-dnevna umrljivost na navadnem oddelku je znašala 14,4 % (95 % (IZ [10,9–18 %]), v EIT pa 43,6 % (IZ [19,3–51,8 %]).
Zaključek: Na preživetje bolnikov s COVID-19 močno vplivajo starost, spol in dejstvo, da je bil bolnik sprejet na oddelek intenzivne terapije, nasprotno pa je dolžina ležalne dobe v bolnišnici podobna v različnih demografskih skupinah. Poznavanje dolžine bivanja in deleža sprejemov na intenzivni oddelek je pomembno za načrtovanje virov med epidemijo.
Keywords: COVID-19; hospital wards; intensive care units; length of stay; mortality.
© 2022 National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia, published by Sciendo.