Factors Associated with Readmission After Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for...

Cytoreductive surgery/hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) for peritoneal carcinomatosis is a morbid endeavor. Despite improvement in perioperative management of these patients, there are subsets of patients requiring hospital readmission after discharge. We sought to identify variables associated with readmission rates for CRS/HIPEC.

We conducted a retrospective review of CRS/HIPEC cases at the University of Cincinnati between 1999 and 2014. Patient-, tumor-, and treatment-specific characteristics were evaluated. The association between patient- and outcome-specific variables for 30- and 90-day readmission were evaluated.

Of 215 CRS/HIPEC patients, the 7-, 30-, and 90-day readmission rates were 9.8 % (n = 21), 14.9 % (n = 32), and 21.4 % (n = 46), respectively. The most common reasons for readmission within 90 days included abdominal pain (n = 14), intra-abdominal abscess (n = 9), malnutrition/failure to thrive (n = 8), and bowel obstruction (n = 7). The primary factor associated with readmission at all time points (7, 30, and 90 days) was the presence of an enterocutaneous fistula (p < 0.01). Six patients (2.8 %) had multiple readmissions; 3 of these had ECF. Factors not associated with higher admission rates included sex, age, race, operative blood loss, pancreatectomy or liver resection at the index operation, and postoperative complications of wound infection, line infection, and thromboembolic events.

In patients undergoing CRS/HIPEC, readmission was primarily associated with poor pain control, malnutrition, and infectious complications. Patients with enterocutaneous fistula were also disproportionately readmitted multiple times. These data should inform clinicians about patients at high risk for readmission after CRS/HIPEC and encourage more comprehensive coordination of postdischarge planning and care for specific patient populations.