Table 2.
Unadjusted outcomes of patients with complicated pneumonia undergoing pleural fluid drainage, stratified by initial pleural fluid drainage procedure.a
| Overall | Chest Tube without Fibrinolysis | Chest Tube with Fibrinolysis | Thoracotomy | VATS | P-valueb | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Additional Procedure | 716 (20.5) | 331 (19.8) | 144 (23.1) | 197 (24.7) | 44 (10.8) | <0.001 |
| Readmission within 14 days | 118 (3.4) | 54 (3.3) | 13 (2.1) | 32 (4.0) | 19 (4.7) | 0.096 |
| Total LOS (days) | 10 (7, 14) | 10 (7, 14) | 9 (7, 13) | 10 (7, 14) | 9 (7, 12) | <.001 |
| Post-initial Procedure LOS (days) | 8 (5, 12) | 8 (6, 12) | 7 (5, 10) | 8 (5,12) | 7 (5,10) | <0.001 |
| Total Cost, Index Hospitalization ($)e | 19319 (13358, 30955) | 19951 (13576, 32018)c | 19565 (13209, 32778)d | 20352 (14351, 31343) | 17918 (13531, 25166) | 0.016 |
| Total Cost, Episode of Illness ($)e | 19831 (13927, 31749) | 20151 (13764, 32653) | 19593 (13210, 32861) | 20573 (14419, 31753) | 18344 (13835, 25462) | 0.029 |
a
Values listed as number (percent) or median (interquartile range); P<.05 considered statistically significant
b
Chi-square test for categorical variables and Kruskal-Wallis test for continuous variables
c
P=0.008 compared with VATS (pairwise comparison)
d
P=0.057 compared with VATS (pairwise comparison)
e
Hospital charges were adjusted for hospital location using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid price/wage index and converted to costs using hospital-level cost-to-charge ratios.
Abbreviations: VATS, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery