Comorbidities and length of stay in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has a significant burden on patients and the healthcare system. There is a link between COPD and comorbidities such as congestive heart failure (CHF), fluid and electrolyte disorders, and renal failure. This adds to the complexity of healthcare in these patients. The objective of this study is to determine if certain comorbidities affect length of stay. A sample of 3,399 patients with COPD were assessed from the Premier^© healthcare database. The cohort had a mean (standard deviation (SD)) age of 68.41 (10.85) years. The average number of comorbidities was 24.83 (10.46) with a mean length of stay (SD) of 11.64 (9.40) days. A negative binomial regression model was used to evaluate the impact that comorbidities have on the length of hospital stay. The authors found that the number of comorbidities was associated with an increased length of stay (r = .4596, p < .0001). Having at least one comorbidity was associated with a 13% greater length of stay (IRR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.11-1.15, p < 0.0001). CHF was associated with a 28% greater length of stay (IRR = 1.28, 95% CI 1.24-1.31, p < 0.0001). Fluid and electrolyte disorders were associated with a 2-fold greater length of stay (IRR = 2.57, 95% CI 2.52-2.62, p < 0.0001). Renal failure was associated with a 50% greater length of stay (IRR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.45-1.55, p < 0.0001). However, uncomplicated diabetes was associated with 13% shorter length of stay than not having uncomplicated diabetes (IRR = .87, 95% CI .82-.91, p < .0001). This study demonstrated that specific comorbidities have an impact on length of stay.