A comparative analysis of readmission rates after outpatient cosmetic surgery

Despite the increasing scrutiny of surgical procedures, outpatient cosmetic surgery has an established record of safety and efficacy. A key measure in assessing surgical outcomes is the examination of readmission rates. However, there is a paucity of data on unplanned readmission following cosmetic surgery procedures.

The authors studied readmission rates for outpatient cosmetic surgery and compared the data with readmission rates for other surgical procedures.

The 2011 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) data set was queried for all outpatient procedures. Readmission rates were calculated for the 5 surgical specialties with the greatest number of outpatient procedures and for the overall outpatient cosmetic surgery population. Subgroup analysis was performed on the 5 most common cosmetic surgery procedures. Multivariate regression models were used to determine predictors of readmission for cosmetic surgery patients.

The 2879 isolated outpatient cosmetic surgery cases had an associated 0.90% unplanned readmission rate. The 5 specialties with the highest number of outpatient surgical procedures were general, orthopedic, gynecologic, urologic, and otolaryngologic surgery; their unplanned readmission rates ranged from 1.21% to 3.73%. The 5 most common outpatient cosmetic surgery procedures and their associated readmission rates were as follows: reduction mammaplasty, 1.30%; mastopexy, 0.31%; liposuction, 1.13%; abdominoplasty, 1.78%; and breast augmentation, 1.20%. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that operating time (in hours) was an independent predictor of readmission (odds ratio, 1.40; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.81; P=.010).

Rates of unplanned readmission with outpatient cosmetic surgery are low and compare favorably to those of other outpatient surgeries.