A review of patients discharged from a Tuberculosis Hospital

A review of 665 discharges in 1965 from the Tuberculosis Unit of the Toronto Hospital at Weston revealed that 10% did not have tuberculosis; 8% had inactive tuberculosis at the time of last admission; and 82% had active tuberculous disease when admitted (66% were admitted for the first time and 16% were readmissions). Ninety-one per cent of those who did not have tuberculosis were discharged (alive) after a median stay in hospital of 68 days; the remaining 9% died from non-tuberculous diseases after a median stay of five days. Ninety-three per cent of those who were admitted with inactive tuberculosis were discharged (alive) after a median stay of 65 days; the remaining 7% died from non-tuberculous diseases after a median stay of three days. Of the 38 deaths among the 665 discharges, only 13 were due to tuberculosis; 19 had tuberculosis but died from various non-tuberculous diseases; and six had no evidence of tuberculosis.Suggestions are made for improving diagnostic accuracy before admission, and for facilitating the earlier discharge of certain patients following investigation in a tuberculosis hospital.