Early Contact after Hospital Discharge Does Not Prevent Readmission in Patients Undergoing Pancreaticoduodenectomy

Studies suggest that early contact (EC) after hospital discharge may help reduce hospital readmissions among medical patients. The objective of this study is to determine if EC after hospital discharge in patients undergoing a pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) can reduce readmission. We performed a retrospective study of 35 patients who underwent PD over 18 months. Early, focused contact after hospital discharge was either a telephone call by a registered nurse or a clinic visit with a provider within four days of discharge. Hospital readmission rates were analyzed between the EC and no-early contact (NC) cohorts. Nineteen patients received EC after hospital discharge and 16 were in the NC group. Fourteen patients (40%) were readmitted, with postoperative pancreatic fistula and delayed gastric emptying as the most common indications for readmission (71.4%). Overall readmission rates were not significantly different between the EC and NC groups (31.6 vs 50.0%, respectively, P = 0.27). EC after hospital discharge in patients undergoing PD does not prevent readmission. This is likely due to the high incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula or delayed gastric emptying that clinically manifests after hospital discharge and EC and requires readmission for management.