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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2023 Jun 1.
Published in final edited form as: Am J Surg. 2021 Oct 16;223(6):1047–1052. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2021.10.024

Table 2.

Unadjusted outcomes stratified by patient health literacy level, n (%).

Variable Overall n=552 Limited n=46 Non-Limited n=506 P value
Median LOS, days (IQR) 4.0 (3.0–6.0) 5.0 (3.0–8.0) 3.5 (2.0–6.0) 0.006
Readmission 83 (15.2) 5 (11.4) 78 (15.5) 0.47
Mortality 1 (0.2) 0 (0.0) 1 (0.2) 0.77
Any complication 1 143 (25.9) 20 (43.5) 123 (24.3) 0.004
Surgical site infection 2 67 (12.1) 10 (21.7) 57 (11.3) 0.04
Superficial infection 19 (3.5) 1 (2.2) 18 (3.6) 0.62
Deep space infection 12 (2.2) 5 (10.9) 7 (1.4) <0.001
Organ space infection 36 (6.5) 4 (8.7) 32 (6.3) 0.54
Wound disruption 14 (2.5) 3 (6.5) 11 (2.0) 0.15
Pneumonia 7 (1.3) 1 (2.2) 6 (1.2) 0.57
Urinary tract infection 18 (3.3) 0 (0.0) 18 (3.6) 0.19
Clostridium difficile infection 3 (0.5) 1 (2.2) 2 (0.4) 0.12
Sepsis 19 (3.5) 1 (2.2) 18 (3.6) 0.62
Septic shock 6 (1.1) 0 (0.0) 6 (1.2) 0.46
Postoperative intubation 5 (0.9) 0 (0.0) 5 (1.0) 0.50
Ventilator requirement >48 hrs 3 (0.5) 1 (2.2) 2 (0.4) 0.12
Pulmonary thromboembolism 3 (0.5) 0 (0) 3 (0.6) 0.60
Venous thrombosis 3 (0.5) 0 (0) 3 (0.6) 0.60
Renal insufficiency 8 (1.5) 1 (2.2) 7 (1.4) 0.67
Renal failure 1 (0.2) 1 (2.2) 0 (0) <0.001
Cerebrovascular accident 1 (0.2) 1 (2.2) 0 (0) <0.001
Cardiac arrest 2 (0.4) 0 (0) 2 (0.4) 0.67
Myocardial infarction 6 (1.1) 0 (0) 6 (1.2) 0.46
Postoperative transfusion 50 (9.1) 7 (15.2) 43 (8.5) 0.13

LOS indicates length of stay.

1

Calculated as number of patients with at least one complication

2

Calculated as number of patients with superficial site, deep space, organ space infection