Thirty-Day Readmission After Esophageal Variceal Hemorrhage and its Impact on Outcomes in the United States

Aims: The authors sought to determine the 30-day readmission rate of patients with esophageal variceal hemorrhage (EVH) and its impact on mortality, morbidity, and health care utilization. Background: EVH is a common complication of cirrhosis and leads to substantial morbidity and mortality. Study: The 2014 National Readmission Database was used to examine adult patients with urgent/emergent admissions and a principal diagnosis of EVH. The primary outcome was 30-day readmission. Secondary outcomes were in-hospital and 30-day mortality rate, most common reasons for readmission, readmission mortality rate, morbidity, and resource utilization. Independent risk factors for readmission were identified using multivariate regression analysis. Results: A total of 2003 patients with EVH were included. The mean age was 57 years and 29% of patients were female individuals. The all-cause 30-day readmission rate was 16.6%. EVH was the cause of readmission in only 5% of readmissions. Independent predictors of readmission were age and insurance type. The in-hospital and 30-day mortality rate for index admissions were 7.3% and 8.2%, respectively. For readmitted patients, the mortality rate was 3.9%. Although morbidity was lower during readmissions (prolonged mechanical ventilation: 0.4% vs. 3.5%, P
Source: Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology - Category: Gastroenterology Tags: LIVER, PANCREAS & BILIARY TRACT: Original Articles Source Type: research