TY - JOUR

T1 - Short and long-term readmission after major emergency abdominal surgery

T2 - a prospective Danish study

AU - Í Soylu, Lív

AU - Kokotovic, Dunja

AU - Gögenur, Ismail

AU - Ekeloef, Sarah

AU - Burcharth, Jakob

N1 - © 2023. The Author(s).

PY - 2024/2

Y1 - 2024/2

N2 - PURPOSE: Major emergency abdominal surgery is associated with severe in-hospital complications and loss of performance. After discharge, a substantial fraction of patients are readmitted emergently; however, limited knowledge exists of the long-term consequences. The aim of this study was to examine the risks and causes of short-term (30-day) and long-term (180-day) readmission among patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery.METHODS: This study included 504 patients who underwent major emergency abdominal surgery at the Zealand University Hospital between March 1, 2017, and February 28, 2019. The population was followed from 0 to 180 days after discharge, and detailed readmission information was registered. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to examine the independent risk factors for readmission within 30 and 180 days.RESULTS: From 0 to 30 days after discharge, 161 (31.9%) patients were readmitted emergently, accumulating to 241 (47.8%) patients within 180 days after discharge. The main reasons for short-term readmission were related to the gastrointestinal tract and surgical wounds, whereas long-term readmissions were due to infections, cardiovascular complications, and abdominal pain. Stomal placement was an independent risk factor for short-term readmission, whereas an ASA score of 3 was a risk factor for both short-term and long-term readmission.CONCLUSION: Close to 50% of all patients who underwent major emergency abdominal surgery had one or more emergency readmission within 180 days of discharge, and these data points towards the risk factors involved.

AB - PURPOSE: Major emergency abdominal surgery is associated with severe in-hospital complications and loss of performance. After discharge, a substantial fraction of patients are readmitted emergently; however, limited knowledge exists of the long-term consequences. The aim of this study was to examine the risks and causes of short-term (30-day) and long-term (180-day) readmission among patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery.METHODS: This study included 504 patients who underwent major emergency abdominal surgery at the Zealand University Hospital between March 1, 2017, and February 28, 2019. The population was followed from 0 to 180 days after discharge, and detailed readmission information was registered. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to examine the independent risk factors for readmission within 30 and 180 days.RESULTS: From 0 to 30 days after discharge, 161 (31.9%) patients were readmitted emergently, accumulating to 241 (47.8%) patients within 180 days after discharge. The main reasons for short-term readmission were related to the gastrointestinal tract and surgical wounds, whereas long-term readmissions were due to infections, cardiovascular complications, and abdominal pain. Stomal placement was an independent risk factor for short-term readmission, whereas an ASA score of 3 was a risk factor for both short-term and long-term readmission.CONCLUSION: Close to 50% of all patients who underwent major emergency abdominal surgery had one or more emergency readmission within 180 days of discharge, and these data points towards the risk factors involved.

KW - Humans

KW - Patient Readmission

KW - Prospective Studies

KW - Postoperative Complications/epidemiology

KW - Risk Factors

KW - Denmark/epidemiology

KW - Retrospective Studies

U2 - 10.1007/s00068-023-02352-3

DO - 10.1007/s00068-023-02352-3

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 37646801

VL - 50

SP - 295

EP - 304

JO - European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery

JF - European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery

SN - 1863-9933

IS - 1

ER -