ABSTRACT
We evaluated the factors [demographic, clinical, procedural and hospital-related factors] influencing length of hospital stay [LOS] of patients with Congestive Heart Failure [CHF]. Congestive heart failure is an imbalance in pump function in which the heart fails to maintain the circulation of blood adequately. CHF is a major medical problem with significant hospital costs in adults. There are growing numbers of CHF diagnosed each year. Consequently, providers are constantly challenged to find more cost effective ways to care for CHF patients without compromising quality of care. We used univariate and multivariate models to evaluate which demographic, clinical and administrative factors influenced length of stay in 100 patients with CHF admitted to Yahyanejad general hospitals between 2001 and 2003. One hundred patients were included in this study. Mean age 61 years, mean left ventricular ejection fraction 37%. Median length of hospital stay was 6 days [IQR 4, 9]. Longer than average length of stay, defined as >6 days, was associated with the presence of peripheral congestion, duration of treatment with intravenous diuretic, the development of renal impairment, other acute medical problems at admission, iatrogenic complications during hospital stay. Conclusions: Peripheral congestion, concomitant acute medical problems requiring specific treatment, were related to a longer than average length of hospital stay. Multivariate models only partly explained variance in hospital stay, suggesting the importance of pre and post-discharge factors, including the healthcare environment, the availability of primary and secondary care resources, and the threshold for hospital admission