Asociación entre el índice de comorbilidad de Charlson y estancia hospitalaria prolongada en un hospital de referencia peruano

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between the Charlson comorbidity index and extended length of stay in a Peruvian reference hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An observational, cohort, longitudinal study was performed in the Medicine Service of National Hospital Hipólito Unanue, Lima, Peru, from December 2019 to February 2020. A bivariate analysis was performed with the χ² test, Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables and Wilcoxon’s rank sum test for numerical variables. Multivariate analysis was performed using a Poisson regression model with robust variance. RESULTS: A sample of 222 cases was taken, of which 29.7% presented an extended length of hospital stay. The median score of the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was 2 points. In the bivariate analysis, an association was found between extended length of hospital stay and previous hospitalization (p = 0.046), previous administration of antibiotics (p = 0.029), health insurance (p = 0.010), respiratory rate (p = 0.016) and pressure ulcers (p = 0.045). In the multivariate analysis, no significant association was found between the Charlson comorbidity index and extended length of hospital stay, both in the crude model and in the adjusted model. CONCLUSIONS: The Charlson comorbidity index was not associated with an extended length of hospital stay.