Verification of a Three-day Hospitalization Protocol for Chronic Subdural Hematoma Surgery

Abstract

Chronic subdural hematoma (CSH) is predominantly a disease of the elderly. Aging societies in advanced countries are seeing the number of CSH cases increasing. We applied a three-day hospitalization protocol for CSH surgery to reduce healthcare costs and more efficiently manage hospital beds. We investigated the clinical factors that influenced prolonged hospitalization. From January 2015 to December 2020, we performed irrigation, evacuation, and drainage of CSH cases in 221 consecutive patients. The χ 2 test and logistic regression analysis were conducted to detect clinical factors influencing prolonged hospitalization. A p-value below 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Applying a three-day hospitalization protocol showed no adverse outcomes. Fifty-two (24%) of 221 patients experienced prolonged hospitalization. The χ 2 test showed that female gender, atrial fibrillation, alcohol abuse, preoperative consciousness level, verbal function disturbance, and perioperative activities of daily living were significantly related to prolonged hospitalization. Female gender, atrial fibrillation, and alcohol abuse were significant factors in the logistic regression analysis. A three-day hospitalization protocol for CSH is suitable for patient care; however, particular attention needs to be focused on the female gender, atrial fibrillation, and alcohol abuse, all three of which prolong hospitalization.