Abstract:Objective To investigate the influencing factors of delayed postoperative discharge in patients with pulmonary nodules. Methods Electronic medical records of 223 patients, 91 males and 132 females, who underwent thoracoscopic/Da Vinci robotic surgery for pulmonary nodules under general anesthesia in Eastern Theater General Hospital, from June to August 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. Univariate analysis and binary logistic regression analysis were used to screen the risk factors for delayed postoperative discharge in patients with pulmonary nodules. Results One hundred and fifty-nine patients (71.3%) with a postoperative hospital stay of ≥3 days were considered the delayed discharge group, and the 64 patients (28.7%) with ＜3 days were considered the normal discharge group. The age, proportion of males, proportion of smoking history, proportion of thoracoscopic surgery, operation duration, intraoperative fluid supplement and fluid loss volume, propofol consumption, incidence of postoperative complications, duration of thoracic drainage tube retention, and drainage volume of patients in the delayed discharge group were significantly higher than those in the normal discharge group (P＜0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that older age ［OR=1.063, 95%CI (1.016-1.111), P=0.008］, longer duration of thoracic drainage tube retention ［OR=8.743, 95%CI (4.144-18.445), P＜0.01］ and use of conventional intravenous analgesic pump ［OR=3.759, 95%CI (1.232-11.468), P=0.020］ were independent risk factors for the postoperative hospital stay≥3 days. Conclusion Older age, longer duration of thoracic drainage tube retention and use of conventional intravenous analgesic pump can affect the length of postoperative hospitalization in patients undergoing lung nodule surgery.