Outcomes no worse with short stay after open heart surgery

(HealthDay)—Shorter length of stay (LOS) after elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass does not result in worse outcomes or increased readmission rates, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, held from Jan. 25 to 28 in New Orleans.

Andre Y. Son, M.D., from Northwestern University in Chicago, and colleagues compared outcomes of patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass with shorter hospitalizations (LOS: no more than three days) to those with longer hospitalizations (LOS: more than three days). A total of 5,987 patients were identified, of whom 2.2 percent had an LOS of no more than three days. One-to-three propensity score matching was performed, resulting in a total of 478 patients (121 with LOS no more than three days and 357 with LOS more than three days).

The researchers found that postoperative atrial fibrillation occurred in 2 percent of those with an LOS no more than three days and in 19 percent of those with an LOS more than three days. Between the groups, the rates of other complications, 30-day readmissions, and mortality rates were comparable.

"Patients can go home after a shorter length of stay in the hospital without increased risk of complications and rehospitalizations," a coauthor said in a statement. "Because we found no detrimental effect of accelerated discharge, both patients and physicians should not be averse to discharging patients when medically ready."

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.