Subgroup analysis on hospital duration. Five cases missing admission or discharge dates. SSc disease characteristics are based on the Medsger severity scale classification12. Data in bold face are statistically significant.
| Demographics | Hospital > 7 Days (%), n = 28 | Hospital < 7 Days (%), n = 31 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | 5 male (19) | 2 male (7) | 0.238 |
| Age, yrs, ± SD | 58.9 ± 13 | 58.3 ± 9 | 0.855 |
| Race | 9 AA, 19 W | 11 AA, 20 W | 1 |
| Treatment modality | |||
| NPO | 20 (71) | 24 (77) | 0.765 |
| Surgery | 6 (21) | 0 (0) | 0.008 |
| Nasogastric tube | 17 (61) | 8 (26) | 0.009 |
| Prokinetic | 17 (61) | 13 (42) | 0.195 |
| Antibiotics | 14 (50) | 13 (42) | 0.606 |
| Intravenous fluids | 18 (64) | 22 (73) | 0.780 |
| Total parenteral nutrition | 11 (34) | 11 (37) | 0.79 |
| Outcome | |||
| Spontaneous resolution | 14 (50) | 29 (97) | 0.0003 |
| Prolonged TPN | 8 (29) | 8 (27) | 1 |
| Death | 4 (14) | 1 (3) | 0.174 |
| Days hospitalized | 20.7 | 3.9 |
SSc: systemic sclerosis; AA: African American; W: white; NPO: nil per os; TPN: total parenteral nutrition.