Unplanned Postoperative Emergency Department Visits After Upper Extremity Fracture Surgery.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine whether outpatient upper extremity fracture surgery was associated with increased postoperative emergency department (ED) visits and identify related risk factors.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort.

SETTING

This multicenter study was conducted within a single academic institution, encompassing two Level 1, two Level 2, and one Level 3 trauma centers.

PATIENT SELECTION CRITERIA: All patients >18 years of age who underwent upper extremity fracture surgery from 2015 to 2021 were included.

OUTCOME MEASURES AND COMPARISONS: Risk factors for postoperative ED visit that were investigated included age, sex, tobacco use, alcohol abuse, psychiatric diagnosis, Elixhauser comorbidity score, race, location of upper extremity fracture, surgical setting (inpatient vs. outpatient), upper extremity block, surgical specialty, and Area Deprivation Index. Variables with a P < 0.1 in bivariate analysis were included in a multivariable logistic regression to determine factors associated with a postoperative ED visit at 30 and 90 days.

RESULTS

A total of 6315 patients with an average age of 51 ± 19 years were identified of whom 52% were women and 65% had outpatient surgery. Postoperatively, 188 patients (3.0%) presented to the ED within 30 days and 304 (4.8%) presented within 90 days. Thirty-seven percent of ED visits were directly related to the procedure, most commonly for pain (20%), cast issues (4.3%), and swelling (3.9%). At 30 days postoperatively, 2.8% of patients who underwent surgery in an outpatient setting and 3.4% of those who underwent inpatient surgery returned to the ED, with these rates increased to 4.4% and 5.6%, respectively, by 90 days. In multivariable analysis, outpatient surgery (odds ratio [OR]: 1.5, P = 0.030), tobacco use (OR: 2.1, P < 0.001), higher Elixhauser comorbidity scores (OR: 1.2, P < 0.001), non-White race (OR: 1.9, P < 0.001), elbow fractures (OR: 1.8, P = 0.016), and hand fractures (OR: 1.6, P = 0.046) were associated with 30-day ED visits.

CONCLUSIONS

Outpatient surgery was associated with increased rate of 30-day ED visits. Patients who smoke, had increased number of comorbidities, or were non-White presented to the ED more frequently.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.