Tran HV, et al. - This research was implemented to study the recent trends in the length of stay (LOS) among patients hospitalized with a first uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and the impact of early hospital discharge on various short-term outcomes in these low risk patients. Findings reported a decline in the average LOS in these patients during the years under study. In these low-risk patients, early discharge from the hospital at day 2 or sooner did not appear to be associated with an increased risk of adverse events post-discharge compared with those discharged at a later time.

Methods

• Using data from 1,501 residents of central Massachusetts hospitalized with a first uncomplicated AMI at all central Massachusetts medical centers on a biennial basis between 2001 and 2011, researchers assessed the link between hospital LOS and subsequent hospital readmission or death using logistic regression modelling.

Results

• Data reported that the average age of the study population was 63.7 years, 63.0% were men, and 91.4% were non-Hispanic whites.
• Findings also demonstrated that the average hospital LOS declined from 4.1 days in 2001 to 2.9 days in 2011.
• Researchers found that during the years under study, the estimated average 30-day hospital readmission rate was 11.9%, while the 30-and 90-day death rates were 1.5% and 2.9%, respectively.
• They also noted that there was no significant difference in the multivariable adjusted odds of a 30-day hospital readmission (OR=0.81, 95%CI=0.52-1.41), or 30-day (OR=0.93, 95%CI=0.29-2.98) and 90-day (OR=0.89, 95%CI=0.36-2.20) death rates between patients who were discharged from central Massachusetts medical centers during the first 2 days as compared with those discharged thereafter.