Who Is at Risk of Long Hospital Stay among Patients Admitted to Geriatric Acute Care Unit? Results from a Prospective Cohort Study.

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Who Is at Risk of Long Hospital Stay among Patients Admitted to Geriatric Acute Care Unit? Results from a Prospective Cohort Study.

J Nutr Health Aging. 2013;17(8):695-699

Authors: Beauchet O, Launay C, de Decker L, Fantino B, Kabeshova A, Annweiler C

Abstract
Objective: 1) To confirm that vitamin D deficiency, defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentration < 25nmol/L, was associated with long length-of-stay (LOS) among older inpatients admitted to geriatric acute care unit; and 2) to examine which combination of risk factors of longer LOS including vitamin D deficiency best predicted longer LOS. Study design and setting: Based on a prospective cohort study with a 25-day follow-up on average, 531 consecutive older inpatients (mean age 85.0±7.2 years, 59.1% women) admitted to the geriatric acute care unit of Angers University Hospital, France, were included. Results: Linear regression models showed that male gender (P< 0.025), delirium (P< 0.015) and vitamin D deficiency (P< 0.001) were independently associated with a longer LOS. The highest risk of a longer LOS was shown while combining vitamin D deficiency with male gender (Odds ratio (OR)=3.70 with P< 0.001). The risk increased significantly while delirium was associated with these two baseline characteristics (OR=4.76 with P=0.001). Kaplan-Meier distributions of discharge differed significantly between participants who had or not the combination of the 3 criteria (P< 0.007). Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency, delirium and male gender were significant risk factors for a longer LOS in the studied sample of older inpatients.

PMID: 24097024 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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