Risk factors for 30-d readmission after colorectal surgery: a systematic review

Readmission rates after colorectal surgery remain an ongoing clinical concern. Recent initiation of penalties for excess readmissions in medical patients has encouraged surgeons to reduce readmissions for surgical patients. We conducted a systematic review of the published literature for the purpose of identifying patient-related risk factors for 30-d readmissions after colorectal surgery.

PubMed and Web of Science were queried for relevant English-language studies published before January 1, 2015, evaluating 30-d hospital readmissions after colorectal surgery in adult patients. Studies were included in this review only if they used a multivariable model to assess various patient-associated predictors and were excluded if the study size was less than 100 patients.

A total of 20 clinical research studies made up of 8 (40%) chart reviews and 12 (60%) administrative data met inclusion criteria. Most studies took place in the United States, and a variety of procedures (e.g., colectomy, rectal resection, stoma creation) and indications for surgery (e.g., cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticular disease) were evaluated. The average ages of included patients was between 37 and 78 y and 36%-97% were men. Readmission rates ranged from 9%-25%. Overall, older age, comorbid conditions, preoperative immunosuppressive therapy, postoperative complications, and nonhome discharge were the most consistent and strongest predictors of readmission.

These identifiable risk factors highlight targets for interventions in an effort to reduce unplanned readmissions. Determining the most efficacious and cost-efficient means to reduce these preventable hospitalizations could save millions of valuable health care dollars.