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Correspondence to Author: Eremy P. Stepan and David Srepeda 

Eremy P. Stepan. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

David Srepeda. Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine

Abstract: This study set out to determine whether low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening for lung cancer might be used to pinpoint characteristics linked to a higher likelihood of hospitalization in the following year.
: Individuals who had a follow-up of at least a year after a lung cancer screening performed between 2015 and 2020 weredetermined. Using body segmentation software, patient charts were reviewed in order to find traits that might be connected to injury and frailty in LDCT scans. Admissions for elective operations were omitted from the definition of hospitalization, which was defined as any stay longer than 48 hours within a year following the LDCT scan.
1606 LDCT scans satisfied the requirements for inclusion. The cohort’s median age was 65 years (interquartile range: 61–70 years), with 54% of the participants being female (875/1606) and 50% of them currently smoking (804/1606). With an interquartile range of 34 to 50 pack-years (median smoking history) of 40 pack-years. Within a year following the LDCT scan, there were 107 hospital admissions. Upon univariate analysis, the following conditions were shown to be associated with higher odds: emphysema (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.09-2.56; P <.02), pulmonary artery enlargement (OR, 2.72; 95% CI, 1.09-6.62; P ¼.03), cardiomegaly (OR, 2.83; 95% CI, 1.33-6.04; P <.01), and coronary artery calcification (OR, 1.59; 95% CI,1.07–2.41; P [.02] were linked to a higher chance of hospitalization. Following age and sex control in multivariate analysis, higher odds of hospitalization were seen for cardiomegaly (OR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.05-4.97; P [.03), emphysema (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.19-2.93; P <.01), and body mass index >30 kg/m2 (OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.02-2.36; P [.04). When screening for lung cancer patients,Features that can be extracted from LDCT scans are linked to a higher chance of hospital admissions in the year that follows.

Citation:

Eremy P. Stepan. Features of Low-Dose Computed Tomography Scan Are Linked to the Annual Hospitalization Risk. Annals of Thoracic Surgery 2024.