Assessment of length of hospital stay (LOS): Patients in depression with acute exacerbations of COPD

Background & Objectives: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is prone to acute exacerbations which may lead to enhanced morbidity and mortality. By compromising health status, mood disorders may lead to an increased risk of hospitalization and re-hospitalization. Information on the time course and recovery from COPD exacerbation is important in standardizing the length of treatment, in planning appropriate follow up and decreasing loss of working days of the patient. Material and Methods: It was a prospective study (observational) which included all patients of depressive symptoms with acute exacerbation of COPD (e-COPD) admitted to the Department of Pulmonary Medicine, SGT Medical College, Gurgaon, over a period of 9 months. Results: In this study we observed the mean length of stay (LOS) of patients with AECOPD was 9.08±4.76 days .There was no significant difference in the length of stay between patients of different age groups. The LOS varied significantly between different GOLD stages. The patient who had a history of admission for twice or more in the past 1 year or had a mortality have a greater mean LOS as compared to patient with just one or no hospitalization in the past. Conclusion: The patient who had a history of admission for twice or more in the past 1year had a greater mean LOS as compared to patient with just one or no hospitalization in the past.