FACTORS EXPLAINING THE LENGTH OF STAY IN POSTANESTHESIA CARE UNIT

Objectives: Because of the increasing rolet of post-anaesthesia care i n anaesthetic activity, the explicative value of various factors on po st-anaesthesia length of stay (POLS) was tested. Study design: Retrosp ective study. Patients: Population of 38,655 patients admitted to the post-anaesthesia care unit (PACU) between 1990 and 1994. Method: Multi variate analysis (semiparametric Cox model) of POLS. Results: Overall 71% of the patients stayed less than four hours in PACU. Average POLS did not vary with years. Eleven variables were related to POLS, with a n odds-ratio (OR) between 0.75 and 0.77 (negative link) or between 1.2 2 and 2.77 (positive link). A comparison of the OR for years 1990 to 1 994 indicated major variations for the following three variables: neur osurgery, mechanical ventilation in PACU, low occupancy rate in the PA CU at the time of discharge. Conclusion: POLS are linked with various factors whose changes in explicative value can be analysed chronologic ally. However, other methods remain necessary in order to evaluate the impact of organisational modifications, as the introduction of object ive criteria for discharge.