1464 - Adjuvant Systemic Steroid Therapy and Length of Hospital Stay in Pneumonia Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study in a Community Hospital

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Presenting Author(s)

RM

Rattanaporn Mahatanan

Infectious Disease Fellow
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Lebanon, New Hampshire
Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Background: Pneumonia is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide resulting in a substantial healthcare expenditure. Antimicrobial agents are the main treatment. Recent studies showed the benefits of steroid therapy as an adjuvant therapy for patients with pneumonia; however, the overall evidence is still controversial.

Methods: Electronic medical records of hospitalized patients (age >18) at a community hospital in a rural Maine with the discharge diagnosis of pneumonia in 2015 and 2016 were reviewed. Demographics, comorbidities, physical examination, initial laboratory, and Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) were collected for each patient. The exposure was a systemic steroid administered by either oral or intravenous. The outcomes included length of hospital stay (LOS), inpatient mortality, and transfer to tertiary care center. Competing-risks regression was utilized to examine the association between steroid and LOS. Multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for propensity score was used for other outcomes.

Results: A total of 414 patients were included. 277(63%) patients received systemic steroids. Overall, steroid use was significantly associated with shorter LOS (HR 1.26, 95%CI 1.03-1.54, p=0.02) and decrease inpatient mortality (OR 0.11, 95%CI 0.03-0.45, p< 0.01). In subgroup analysis, steroid associated with shorter LOS only in patients with PSI class IV (HR 1.38, 95%CI 1.02-1.89, p=0.04) and PSI class V (HR 2.04, 95%CI 1.11-3.74, p=0.02). There was an association of steroid and shorter LOS in subgroup of COPD patients (HR 1.42, 95%CI 1.02-1.97, p=0.03).Table 1: The baseline characteristics of hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of pneumonia who received steroid vs non-steroid

Figure 1: Subgroup analysis the effect of steroid and lenght of hospital stay (LOS)

Conclusion: Our study concluded that adjuvant steroid therapy associated with a decrease in length of hospital stay and improved inpatient mortality in hospitalized pneumonia patients. Steroid was most beneficial to those with severe pneumonia (PSI class IV-V) and COPD patients.