Predictors of prolonged hospital stay in a Comprehensive Stroke Unit.
Ana Paula Gaspari, Elaine Drehmer de Almeida Cruz, Josemar Batista and 3 others
PMID 31618390WHAT IT FOUND
Pneumonia, urinary tract infection and malignant stroke were linked to longer stays in a stroke unit; symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation was not.
This is association, not proof that prevention shortens stay.
Key findings
01Among 353 discharged patients, 324 (91.8%) had ischemic stroke and 29 (8.2%) had TIA; in-hospital complications occurred in 95 (26.9%).
02Mean stay was 13.7±14.3 days overall, and 11.2±7.1 days without complications, versus 25.3±28.8 days with pneumonia and 32.9±45.2 days with urinary tract infection (p<0.001 for both).
03Malignant ischemic stroke was associated with 29.1±21.4 days (p<0.001), while symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation was not (14.1±9.7 days, p=0.638).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The data came from one public teaching hospital in southern Brazil, so results may not apply to other stroke units. It was retrospective, so the study cannot tell whether pneumonia or urinary tract infection caused longer stay, or whether preventive measures were actually implemented. Patients with hemorrhagic stroke or cerebral venous thrombosis were excluded, so it does not cover all stroke types. Some stays may have been prolonged for rehabilitation or secondary prevention, not only complications.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the longer stays as proof that preventing pneumonia or urinary tract infection will shorten stay. This retrospective study reports association only, and patients with complications may differ in stroke severity, care needs, or reasons for staying.