Safety and cost analysis of early discharge following percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndrome in patients with diabetes mellitus

Objective To evaluate the safety and cost of early discharge compared with ordinary discharge in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute coronary syndrome. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 474 patients with DM who were discharged from hospital following PCI at a regional center between 2012 and 2015. Results A total of 192 patients (40.5%) were included in the early discharge group and 282 patients (59.5%) were included in the ordinary group. Mortality and morbidity after PCI were recorded. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed similar prognosis between the two groups at 30 days and at 1 year after discharge. However, hospitalization expenses for the regular discharge group were significantly higher than those of the early discharge group (RMB65,750 vs. RMB50,983). Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that early discharge of patients with DM following PCI for acute coronary syndrome is safe compared with ordinary discharge, and may reduce hospitalization costs.