Length and Cost of Hospital Stay in Poor-Risk Patients With Critical Limb Ischemia Undergoing Revascularization

Abstract

Background: The aim of the current study was to identify the distribution of length and cost of hospital stay and their associated risk factors in poor-risk Japanese critical limb ischemia (CLI) patients undergoing revascularization.

Methods and results: We analyzed prospectively collected data from 507 CLI patients who required assistance in their daily lives due to disability in activities of daily living and/or cognitive function impairment and who underwent revascularization. The median length and cost of hospital stay were 23 days (IQR, 9-52 days) and ¥2.25m (IQR, ¥1.33m-3.58m), respectively. Reduced albumin, tissue loss, infection, surgical reconstruction, and bilateral revascularization were associated with prolonged hospital stay (P=0.012, 0.019, <0.001, <0.001, and <0.001, respectively). Doubling the length of the hospital stay was associated with a 44% increase in hospital cost. Regular dialysis, surgical reconstruction, and bilateral revascularization were independently associated with an approximately 20% increase in the cost of hospital stay (all P<0.001).

Conclusions: Length and cost of hospital stay varied considerably between patients. Low serum albumin, tissue loss, infection, surgical reconstruction, and bilateral revascularization were associated with longer hospital stay. Regular dialysis, surgical reconstruction, and bilateral revascularization were independently associated with an approximately 20% increase in the cost of hospital stay.

Keywords: Critical limb ischemia; Hospital cost; Length of hospital stay; Poor risk.