[Variables influencing duration of hospitalization for urinary tract infection].
BACKGROUND
The need for hospitalization and its duration in children with urinary tract infections (UTI) are controversial.


OBJECTIVE
To analyze the effect of certain clinical factors from the medical records of children hospitalized with UTI to determine which factors have the greatest influence on length of hospital stay.


METHODS
A retrospective study of the medical records of 93 patients admitted to our department with a diagnosis of UTI between May 1998 and June 2000 was carried out. All cases were confirmed by bacteriological analysis. The variables analyzed included age, sex, duration of fever before and during admission, temperature, length of intravenous antibiotic therapy, administration of aminoglycosides, presence of urinary tract malformations, previous episodes of UTI, and length of hospital stay.


RESULTS
The variables with the greatest influence on a length of hospital stay of more than 7 days were age, especially an age of less than 24 months (OR 3.42; 95 % CI 1.2-9) and the number of days with fever during hospitalization (more than 2 days: OR 2.73; 95 % CI 1.07-7.6).


CONCLUSIONS
Patient age significantly influences length of hospital stay in children with UTI. To optimize resources, ambulatory treatment of children with UTI should be encouraged, even in those younger than 2 years.
Ramiro Ayán
L
L
Servicio de Pediatría, Hospital Universitario Príncipe de Asturias, Madrid, Spain.
Lassaletta Atienza
A
A
González Santiago
P
P
Gómez Carrasco
J A
JA
García De Frías
E
E
D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000534:rehabilitation*
D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents