‘Post-hospital syndrome’ linked to increased risk of readmission within 30 days of elective hernia repair
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Post-hospital syndrome, defined as having been hospitalized within the previous 90 days, is associated with increased risk of readmission after elective surgery, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Western Surgical Association, held from Nov. 7 to 10 in Napa Valley, Calif.
Anai N. Kothari, M.D., from the Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill., and colleagues examined whether inpatient admissions within 90 days of elective, outpatient surgery increase the risk of adverse postoperative events. Data were reviewed for 57,988 patients undergoing elective outpatient hernia repair in 2011, including 1,332 patients who had post-hospital syndrome.
The researchers found that among the patients with previous inpatient admission, the most common reasons for hospitalization were gastrointestinal problems (25.1 percent), cardiovascular problems (12.3 percent), injuries such as hip fractures (8.2 percent), and complications related to pregnancy (7.1 percent). The risk of postoperative readmission was increased with recent inpatient admission prior to elective surgery. Post-hospital syndrome correlated with increased odds of emergency department readmission (8.3 versus 4.3 percent; odds ratio, 2.0; adjusted odds ratio, 1.8) and inpatient readmission (7.6 versus 1.6 percent; odds ratio, 5.0; adjusted odds ratio, 3.5), compared to that seen in patients without post-hospital syndrome.
“Surgeons must consider all recent inpatient admissions when risk-stratifying patients for ambulatory, elective surgery,” the authors said in a Loyola news release.
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