Resources and use of the intensive care unit in patients who undergo surgery for ovarian carcinoma

BACKGROUND. The objective of the current study was to determine the association of age, comorbid illness, and length of stay (LOS) in the intensive care unit (ICU) in women who underwent oophorectomy for ovarian carcinoma. METHODS. The authors conducted a population-based analysis of all women with a primary or secondary diagnosis of ovarian carcinoma who underwent oophorectomy between 1994-1999. Chi-square tests and Student t tests were used to determined differences in means or proportions. Multivariate regression methods were used to build predictive models. RESULTS. Of 8109 women who were admitted, 1412 women underwent oophorectomy, 1045 of 1412 women (74%) underwent hysterectomy, 325 of 1412 women (23%) underwent intestinal surgery, and 296 of 1412 women (21%) were admitted to the ICU. Overall ( standard deviation) LOS was 8.3 days +/- 6.90 days, and the total charges were $16,675 +/- $15,590 (1999 dollars). Patients who underwent intestinal surgery were older (62.5 years vs. 57.1 years; P = 0.01), had a longer LOS (11.62 days vs. 7.33 days; P = 0.01), had a longer ICU stay (1.15 days vs. 0.58 days; P = 0.01), and had a higher mean Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) (16.01 vs. 8.73; P = 0.01) compared with patients who did not undergo intestinal surgery. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that age, intestinal surgery, CCI, ICU stay, and African-American race were associated with LOS and contributed indirectly to total charges, whereas age and ICU say were the two most important direct determinants of total charges. CONCLUSIONS. Advancing age, ICU stay, intestinal surgery, African-American race, and comorbid illness were the most prominent predictors of LOS, whereas age and ICU stay were the most important factors predicting total charges in women who underwent oophorectomy for ovarian carcinoma.