Preventable readmission to intensive care unit in critically ill cancer patients

Readmission to intensive care unit (ICU) after discharge to ward has been reported to be associated with increased hospital mortality and longer length of stay (LOS). The objective of this study was to investigate whether ICU readmission are preventable in critically ill cancer patients.

Data of patients who readmitted to intensive care unit (ICU) at National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) and Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) between January 2013 and November 2016 were retrospectively collected and reviewed.

A total of 39 patients were included in the final analysis, and the overall readmission rate between 2013 and 2016 was 1.32% (39/2,961). Of 39 patients, 32 (82.1%) patients were judged as unpreventable and 7 (17.9%) patients were preventable. There were no significant differences in duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU LOS, hospital LOS, ICU mortality and in-hospital mortality between patients who were unpreventable and preventable. For 24 early readmission patients, 7 (29.2%) patients were preventable and 17 (70.8%) patients were unpreventable. Patients who were late readmission were all unpreventable. There was a trend that patients who were preventable had longer 1-year survival compared with patients who were unpreventable (100% vs. 66.8%, log rank=1.668, P=0.196).

Most readmission patients were unpreventable, and all preventable readmissions occurred in early period after discharge to ward. There were no significant differences in short term outcomes and 1-year survival in critically ill cancer patients whose readmissions were preventable or not.