An evaluation of emergency general surgery 30-day readmissions: Are they preventable?

INTRODUCTION

Patients admitted to Emergency General Surgery (EGS) services suffer from increased morbidity and mortality compared to patients undergoing elective surgery. Unplanned readmissions occur in 15 ​% of EGS admissions; however, the preventability of these readmissions remains largely unknown.

METHODS

We conducted a single-center, retrospective study of patients admitted to the EGS service from 2021 to 2023 who were readmitted within 30 days. The primary outcome was the percentage of preventable readmissions, defined as those with actionable outpatient interventions.

RESULTS

1,655 patients were admitted to the EGS service, with 224 (14.1 ​%) readmitted within 30 days. The leading reason for readmission was the need for additional management of the initial diagnosis (38.4 ​%). Of the readmitted patients, only 11 (4.9 ​%) were identified as preventable due to issues such as inadequate pain control or education.

CONCLUSIONS

Readmission patterns showed that most patients returned due to the progression of the initial diagnosis or complications, suggesting that many readmissions may be unavoidable.