A risk factor analysis of length of hospital stay in thyroid surgeries: An experience from a tertiary care hospital of Eastern India

Abstract

Abstract Background: Thyroid surgeries are one of the common surgical procedures worldwide, carried out by a range of board-certified physicians with backgrounds in general surgery, endocrine surgery, otolaryngology, thoracic surgery, head and neck surgery, and oncology. The length of hospital stay in these surgeries has not been extensively studied. The purpose of the study was to find out the factors determining the length of hospital stay in thyroid surgeries. Materials and Methods: One hundred and seven adult patients operated between January and December of 2021 were included in the study. Data were collected retrospectively from medical records using a data extraction form after getting Institutional Ethics Committee approval. Data were analyzed using Epi Info software, with a P < 0.05 taken as statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the participants was 33.6 ± 9.7 years, females (67.2%) outnumbered males. The mean duration of hospital stay was 10.55 ± 4.32 days; the length of hospital stay saw an increasing trend with the increasing age (10.89 days), male sex (11 days), those who had postoperative complications (11 days), and total thyroidectomy (15 days). Those who delayed in seeking healthcare (10 days–1 month) also reported a longer hospital stay. Conclusion: In this study, increasing age, male sex, underweight patients, patients from rural areas, those with lower educational status, and unemployed were found to have a longer hospital stay. Other factors which were seen to be associated with longer hospital stays were those undergoing total thyroidectomy, having associated complications, and delay in health-seeking behavior.