Table 2.
Patient characteristics according to emergency department length of stay
| ED-LOS ≤ 48 h (n = 905) | ED-LOS > 48 h (n = 582) | P | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender, male | 469 (51.8) | 294 (50.5) | 0.622 |
| Age (years) | 62.6 (53.1–73.6) | 68.4 (57.8–77.2) | < 0.001 |
| Medical center | 0.481 | ||
| Center A | 603 (60.2) | 398 (39.8) | |
| Center B | 302 (62.1) | 184 (37.9) | |
| Preoperative medical conditions | |||
| Hypertension | 361 (39.9) | 307 (52.8) | < 0.001 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 121 (13.4) | 137 (23.6) | < 0.001 |
| Chronic renal disease | 53 (5.9) | 69 (11.9) | < 0.001 |
| Major cardiovascular diseasea | 118 (13.0) | 134 (23.0) | < 0.001 |
| COPD | 57 (6.3) | 62 (10.7) | 0.002 |
| Active cancer | 76 (8.4) | 121 (20.8) | < 0.001 |
| Major general surgery | 132 (14.6) | 104 (17.9) | 0.090 |
| Risk factors for 30-day mortalityb | 0.006 | ||
| No risk factors | 377 (41.7) | 141 (24.2) | |
| 1 or 2 risk factors | 403 (44.5) | 289 (49.6) | |
| ≥ 3 risk factors | 125 (13.8) | 152 (26.1) | |
| Preoperative interventions | |||
| Medical assessments | 5 (4–7) | 16 (10–30) | < 0.001 |
| Laboratories | 8 (4–14) | 27.5 (12–60) | < 0.001 |
| Diagnostic images | 2 (1–3) | 4 (2.5–7) | < 0.001 |
| Type of surgery | < 0.001 | ||
| General | 700 (77.3) | 403 69.2) | |
| Orthopedic | 205 (22.7) | 179 (30.8) | |
| Duration of surgery (hours) | 1.8 (1.3–2.4) | 2 (1.3–2.8) | < 0.001 |
Data are presented as median (interquartile range), or absolute number (%). ED-LOS Emergency department length of stay, COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
aIncludes history of coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease
bRisk factors as defined by VISION study [3]: Age ≥ 65 years, history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, PVD, stroke, COPD, active cancer and major general surgery