Predictors of Readmission Following Elective Same-Day Colectomy in a National Cohort

Same-day discharge programs enable select patients to leave the hospital on the day of surgery. However, clear patient selection criteria for same-day discharge following elective minimally invasive colectomy remain undefined.

This study sought to identify risk factors for 30-d readmission following same-day colectomy using data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database.

Among 8114 patients who underwent same-day colectomy from 2015 to 2023, 5.5% were readmitted within 30 d. Univariate analysis identified increased readmission risk associated with advancing age, Black race, modified frailty index of 2 or greater, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification of 3 or greater, use of steroids/immunosuppressants for inflammatory bowel disease, and receipt of chemotherapy within 90 d of surgery. Statistically significant predictors of readmission within 30 d on multivariate analysis included advancing age, modified frailty index of 2 or greater, surgical indication of inflammatory bowel disease, total operation time, and receipt of chemotherapy within 90 d of the principal procedure. Patients with underweight body mass index and American Society of Anesthesiologists classification of 3 or greater demonstrated a trend toward increased risk of readmission.

These findings may help to inform patient eligibility criteria for successful same-day colectomy programs.