Abstract

Hospital Readmission after Surgery: Rate and Predisposing Factors (Retrospective Study)

Background: Readmission after surgery has become an important topic. Several studies have addressed this issue in different ways. One study assessed the risk factors of readmission 30 days after general surgery and found that many factors can result in readmission and postoperative complications.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we reviewed the medical records of 13,800 patients who underwent surgery between 1/1/2016 and 31/3/2019 at King Fahad Specialist Hospital in Buraidah and documented the operative report, course of admission, and post-discharge records.

Results: A total of 46 patients were readmitted (readmission rate, 0.33%). The mean age and body mass index did not differ significantly between the planned readmission and unplanned readmission cases (p=0.050). Sex was not associated with readmission type (planned vs. unplanned). The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grades for readmitted cases were as follows: ASA 1 (37.0%), ASA 2 (47.8%), ASA 3 (10.9%), and ASA 4 (4.3%). The most common cause for readmission was completion of management plan (n=14 30.4%). The majority of patients were readmitted after 1 month (69.6%). Only a few (6.5%) patients were readmitted within the first week.

Conclusion: Readmissions after surgical procedures have multifactorial risk factors; however, postoperative complications appear to be among the most common causes of readmission in surgical patients. Taking appropriate steps to decrease postoperative complications will help minimize postoperative readmissions, and a better understanding of the causes of readmissions after surgery will allow hospitals to develop programs to decrease their rates.

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