Unplanned hospital admissions due to secondary health conditions after spinal cord injury: a population-based description of determinants of length of stay

Study design Population-based prospective study. Objectives To provide a population-based description of length of stay (LOS) and person-related risk factors following unplanned hospital admission due to a secondary health condition (SHC) in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). Setting Specialized SCI hospital and rehabilitation center in Switzerland. Methods Descriptive analysis of LOS using routine clinical data of persons with SCI, who were acutely hospitalized between 01.01.2017–30.06.2018. Multivariable regression analysis was used to derive marginal predictions of LOS by acute SHCs and person characteristics. Results The study included 183 persons, 83% were male, and the median age was 57 years (interquartile range, IQR, 49–67 years). SCI cause was traumatic in 160 (88.4%) cases, 92 (50.3%) were persons with tetraplegia, 147 (80.3%) were classified as motor complete lesions (American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) A or B) and median time since injury (TSI) was 24 (IQR 13–34) years. Median LOS was 19 (IQR 9–39) days, varying from 74 (IQR 39–92) days for pressure ulcers, 13 (IQR 8–24) days for urinary tract infections (UTI), to 27 (IQR 18–47) days for fractures. LOS was prolonged in persons with multiple co-morbidities or those developing complications during hospitalization. Sex, SCI etiology and lesion level were not associated with LOS. Conclusions This population-based description identified substantial variation in LOS between acute SHCs and clinical complications as the main, potentially modifiable, person-related risk factors for extended hospital stay.