Clinical characteristics associated with days to discharge among patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of lower limb cellulitis.

BACKGROUND: Clinicians have limited ability to classify risk of prolonged hospitalization among patients with lower limb cellulitis.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify characteristics associated with days to discharge and prolonged stay.

METHODS: We conducted retrospective cohort analysis including patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of lower limb cellulitis at community and tertiary hospitals.

RESULTS: There were 4224 admissions for lower limb cellulitis among 3692 patients. Mean age of the cohort was 64.4 years. Frequencies of tobacco smoking, obesity, and diabetes mellitus were 25.1%, 44.9%, and 19.3%, respectively. Patients having decreased likelihood of discharge included those with the following: 10-year age increments 0.90 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.88-0.92), obesity 0.90 (95% CI 0.83-0.97), diabetes mellitus 0.90 (95% CI 0.82-0.98), tachycardia 0.76 (95% CI 0.67-0.85), hypotension 0.77 (95% CI 0.65-0.90), leukocytosis 0.86 (95% CI 0.79-0.93), neutrophilia 0.80 (95% CI 0.73-0.87), elevated serum creatinine 0.74 (95% CI 0.68-0.81), and low serum bicarbonate 0.84 (95% CI 0.75-0.95).

LIMITATIONS: This analysis is retrospective and based on coded data. Unknown confounding variables may also influence prolonged stay.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with lower limb cellulitis and prolonged stay have a number of clinical characteristics which may be used to classify risk for prolonged stay.