Younger Age and Longer Case Times Associated With Emergency Department Visits After Cataract Surgery

To characterize the frequency, reasons, hospital costs, and risk factors for emergency department (ED) visits within 30 days of cataract surgery.

Retrospective cohort study.

A retrospective review of all cataract surgeries at Duke Health between 2013 and 2021 was conducted. Demographics, case characteristics (length, complexity by billing codes, anesthesia type), ED visit findings, and hospital costs were collected. Logistic regression models were used to determine the odds of ED visits based on several risk factors.

Of 34 246 patients (57 656 eyes) undergoing cataract surgery at Duke Health from 2013 to 2021, a total of 607 patients (1.77%) had 680 ED visits within 30 days of surgery. The most common ED diagnosis was cardiovascular (24.4%), whereas ocular complaints constituted 15.4% of visits. The most common ocular diagnoses were high intraocular pressure, rebound iritis, and posterior vitreous detachment. Hospital costs were lowest for ocular diagnoses (mean $467.72) and highest for trauma diagnoses (mean $4660.55). Risk factors for ED visits included case lengths greater than 30 minutes (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.56-2.83, P < .001), the combination of Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC) and retrobulbar anesthesia or general anesthesia (OR 2.98, 95% CI 1.73-5.12, P < .001), and age less than 70 years (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.16-1.65, P < .001).

ED visits within 30 days of cataract surgery are uncommon. Longer case lengths, anesthesia other than MAC alone, and younger age are associated with higher odds of ED visits.