TABLE 2.
Symptoms, signs and comorbidities of patients with a hospital length of stay (LOS) of seven days or less compared with those who stayed more than seven days
| Overall | LOS ≤7 days | LOS >7 days | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature, °C (n=2718)* | 37.5±1.1 | 37.5±1.1 | 37.3±1.1 | <0.001 |
| Respiratory rate, breaths/min (n=2669)* | 26±7.7 | 25.6±7.4 | 26.5±7.9 | 0.002 |
| Oxygen saturation on room air, % (n=1648)* | 89.6±7.0 | 90.1±6.2 | 88.6±8.0 | <0.001 |
| Temperature, n (%) | 2718 | 1581 | 1137 | 0.038 |
| 35.5°C to 38°C | 1831 (67.4) | 1040 (65.8) | 791 (69.6) | |
| <35.5°C or >38°C | 887 (32.6) | 541 (34.2) | 346 (30.4) | |
| Respiratory rate, n (%) | 2669 | 1551 | 1118 | 0.014 |
| 16 to 24 breaths/min | 1518 (56.9) | 913 (58.9) | 605 (54.1) | |
| <16 or >24 breaths/min | 1151 (43.1) | 638 (41.1) | 513 (45.9) | |
| Oxygen saturation on room air, n (%) | 1648 | 1031 | 617 | 0.001 |
| <90% | 677 (41.1) | 392 (38.0) | 285 (46.2) | |
| ≥90% | 971 (58.9) | 639 (62.0) | 332 (53.8) | |
| Symptom, n (%) | ||||
| Sweats | 260 (9.4) | 182 (11.4) | 78 (6.8) | <0.001 |
| Fever | 1285 (46.6) | 801 (50.0) | 484 (41.9) | <0.001 |
| Shaking chills | 649 (23.5) | 438 (27.3) | 211 (18.3) | <0.001 |
| Chest pain | 620 (22.5) | 382 (23.8) | 238 (20.6) | 0.047 |
| Cough | 2056 (74.6) | 1239 (77.3) | 817 (70.8) | <0.001 |
| Sputum production | 1356 (49.2) | 834 (52.0) | 522 (45.2) | <0.001 |
| Altered mental state | 317 (11.5) | 155 (9.7) | 162 (14.0) | <0.001 |
| Pleuritic chest pain | 303 (11.0) | 194 (12.1) | 109 (9.4) | 0.028 |
| Wheeze | 604 (21.9) | 380 (23.7) | 224 (19.4) | 0.007 |
| Crackles on auscultation | 1003 (36.4) | 554 (34.6) | 449 (38.9) | 0.019 |
| Comorbidity, n (%) | ||||
| Asthma | 389 (14.1) | 249 (15.5) | 140 (12.1) | 0.011 |
| COPD | 895 (32.5) | 494 (30.8) | 401 (34.7) | 0.030 |
| Diabetes, insulin-dependent | 158 (5.7) | 80 (5.0) | 78 (6.8) | 0.049 |
| Heart disease | 1209 (43.9) | 642 (40.0) | 567 (49.1) | <0.001 |
| Cancer | 356 (12.9) | 190 (11.9) | 166 (14.4) | 0.050 |
| Dementia | 177 (6.4) | 84 (5.2) | 93 (8.1) | 0.003 |
| Psychiatric disorder | 356 (12.9) | 185 (11.5) | 171 (14.8) | 0.011 |
| Stroke | 290 (10.5) | 137 (8.5) | 153 (13.3) | <0.001 |
| Comorbidity using PORT criteria, n (%)† | ||||
| Neoplastic disease | 199 (7.2) | 95 (5.9) | 104 (9.0) | 0.002 |
| Liver disease | 85 (3.1) | 59 (3.7) | 26 (2.3) | 0.032 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 212 (7.7) | 100 (6.2) | 112 (9.7) | 0.001 |
| Congestive heart failure | 461 (16.7) | 223 (13.9) | 238 (20.6) | <0.001 |
| Renal disease | 339 (12.3) | 157 (9.8) | 182 (15.8) | <0.001 |
| None of the above | 1644 (59.6) | 1056 (65.9) | 588 (51.0) | <0.001 |
*
Data are presented as means ± SD;
†
See reference 6. COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; PORT Pneumonia Patient Outcomes Research Team