RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to identify the factors related to prolonged stay in those patients admitted with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) to our hospital. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study by reviewing the medical records of all patients admitted with AECOPD to the University Hospital Complex of Santiago de Compostela in 2007 and 2008. To identify variables independently associated with length of stay, we conducted a logistic regression including those variables which proved to be significant in the univariate analysis. RESULTS: Six hundred and sixty-one patients were assessed; 76.6% were male and the mean age was 74.5 years (standard deviation [SD]: 11.48). The mean stay was 11.9 days (SD: 8) and 24% of all patients required prolonged stay. Factors associated with prolonged mean stay in multivariate analysis were admission to the Intensive Care Unit (odds ratio [OR], 14.7), hospitalization by internal medicine (OR, 2.1), and use of noninvasive mechanical ventilation (OR, 1.75). CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged stay in AECOPD is primarily related to the unit patients are admitted to, and to the need for more intensive care.