title: Depression as a predictor of length of stay in patients admitted to the cardiovascular intensive care unit at a university medical center.
abstract: Depression is a predictor of length of stay (LOS) and adverse outcomes in patients with cardiac disease. Our objective was to assess the impact of depression on LOS in a Hispanic population admitted to a cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU). This was a prospective study of 151 consecutive patients admitted to the CVICU. Patients were administered the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale survey within 24 hours of admission. Patients were followed until discharge to determine LOS and adverse outcomes. Depression was more prevalent in Hispanic patients than in nonHispanic patients based on the CES-D scores (41% vs 14%). Using multivariate analysis, the presence of depression was a significant predictor of increased LOS (P = .001). Depression has a significant impact on LOS in a Hispanic population. Appropriate treatment of depression may decrease LOS and has the potential to be cost effective in the current health care environment.
authors.affiliation: Paul Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rude
authors.affiliation: Paul Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Komola
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Azimova
authors.affiliation: University Medical Center, El Paso, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dominguez
authors.affiliation: Paul Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sarosiek
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Edlavitch
authors.affiliation: University of Missouri School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO, USA debabrata.mukherjee@ttuhsc.edu.
authors.forename: Debabrata
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: Hispanic; cardiovascular intensive care unit; cardiovascular outcomes; depression; heart disease; length of stay