Effects of Statins on Hospital Length of Stay and All-Cause Readmissions Among Hospitalized Patients With a Primary Diagnosis of Sepsis

Abstract

Background: There is little information on the impact of statins on hospital length of stay (LOS) or readmission among patients with sepsis. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the association between statin use and LOS and all-cause readmissions among sepsis patients hospitalized in the medical unit. Methods: The design was a retrospective propensity score–matched study of adult patients with a primary diagnosis of sepsis from 2007 to 2013. Information was extracted from the electronic health record. Sepsis patients were identified using ICD-9CM codes. Propensity scores estimated the probability that a patient would be on statins, and patients who were on statins were then matched with those who were not, within ±0.05. Additional greedy matching criteria were organ dysfunction (yes/no) and all patient refined diagnosis-related group (APR-DRG) medical/surgical. The primary outcome was LOS, and the secondary outcomes were all-cause readmission at 30, 60, and 90 days, adjusted for age, sex, modified Deyo-Charlson comorbidity index, APR-DRG severity of illness (SOI), and APR-DRG medical/surgical, as appropriate. Results: Patients taking statins had a shorter LOS than patients not taking statins, 8.7 ± 3.7 and 10.3 ± 2.7 days, respectively (P value = 0.018). There was no significant difference (P> 0.05) in all cause readmissions between statin and nonstatin patients. Presence of comorbidities and SOI were significant factors for 60- and 90-day readmissions. Conclusions: The use of statins among patients admitted with primary sepsis in the medical unit was associated with shorter length of hospital stay. However, it did not affect frequency of readmissions.