Characteristics of patients with prolonged air leak discharged with chest tube by readmission status
| Characteristic | No. (%) of patients* | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Readmitted n = 49 | Not readmitted n = 204 | ||
| Centre | 0.029 | ||
| 1 | 0 (0.0) | 30 (14.5) | |
| 2 | 14 (28.5) | 53 (26.0) | |
| 3 | 1 (2.0) | 8 (4.0) | |
| 4 | 34 (69.5) | 113 (55.5) | |
| Sex | 0.749 | ||
| Male | 29 (59.0) | 114 (56.0) | |
| Female | 20 (41.0) | 90 (44.0) | |
| Resection | 0.577 | ||
| Wedge | 0 (0.0) | 5 (2.5) | |
| Multiple wedges | 0 (0.0) | 2 (1.0) | |
| Segmentectomy | 6 (12.2) | 15 (7.4) | |
| Lobectomy | 41 (83.7) | 175 (85.7) | |
| Bilobectomy | 2 (4.1) | 7 (3.4) | |
| Approach | 0.959 | ||
| VATS | 29 (59.2) | 125 (61.0) | |
| Open | 16 (32.6) | 64 (31.5) | |
| Robotic | 4 (8.2) | 15 (7.5) | |
| Discharge with antibiotics | 0.324 | ||
| No | 42 (85.5) | 159 (78.0) | |
| Yes | 7 (14.5) | 45 (22.0) | |
| Age, yr, median (range) | 68 (50 – 84) | 70 (19 – 88) | 0.500 |
| FEV1, median (range) | 80 (32 – 139) | 80 (31 – 140) | 0.920 |
| DLCO, median (range) | 62 (35 – 114) | 69 (24 – 998) | 0.108 |
| Pre-readmission LOS (range) | 8 (3 – 63) | 7 (3 – 30) | 0.588 |
| Days with chest tube (range) | 22 (5 – 141) | 16 (5 – 148) | < 0.001 |
DLCO = diffusion lung capacity for carbon monoxide; FEV1 = forced expiratory volume in 1 second; LOS = length of stay; VATS = video-assisted thoracic surgery.
↵* Unless indicated otherwise.