Length of hospital stay after cesarean section in Denmark from 2004 to 2016: A national register-based study

Length of hospital stay after birth has decreased during the last decades, but nationwide data on length of hospital stay after cesarean section are lacking. Elements of Enhanced Recovery Programs were reported to reduce the length of hospital stay. The aim of this nationwide study was to describe the length of hospital stay after cesarean section in Denmark from 2004 to 2016 taking into account birth- and health-related factors as well as demographic changes and, further, to assess potential differences between the five Danish regions.

Length of hospital stay was assessed in 164 209 deliveries by cesarean section in Denmark from 2004 to 2016. Data were obtained from the Danish National Patient Register. All deliveries by cesarean section at gestational age <22 weeks were excluded. Median length of hospital stay was reported based on crude and adjusted analyses.

The median length of hospital stay was significantly reduced by 39 hours (95% confidence interval [CI] 37.9-40.1), from 97 hours (4.0 days) in 2004 to 58 hours (2.4 days) in 2016. Reductions were observed among both planned and emergency cesarean sections. When birth- and health-related factors as well as demographic changes were accounted for, median length of hospital stay was reduced by 30 hours (95% CI 29.3-30.8) in the period. The decrease in length of hospital stay from 2004 to 2016 varied between the five Danish regions, with adjusted reductions between 19 and 46 hours.

A nationwide decrease in length of hospital stay after cesarean section was observed from 2004 to 2016 across all five regions but with significant regional variations. Further studies on the optimal length of hospital stay are needed, especially with regard to implementation of enhanced recovery programs.