Risk factors for first-year hospital readmission after liver transplantation

Objective To investigate the frequency of and the risk factors for hospital readmission within the first year after liver transplantation (LT). Materials and methods Between January 1999 and August 2013, LTs were performed in 890 adult patients at our center. We collected medical data from the Chinese Liver Transplant Registry and performed a retrospective review of the medical records of these patients. We aimed to identify the factors that contribute toward readmission during the first year after LT. We also first investigated the relationship between the number and severity of post-transplant complications and the risk of readmission. The survival outcomes of patients with and without readmission were also studied. Results A total of 165 rehospitalizations occurred in 142 patients (18.0%) within 1 year after discharge from their index admissions. The risk factors included hepatic malignancy as an indication for LT (P=0.01), previous abdominal surgery (P=0.03), the occurrence of any complications (P<0.001), biliary complications (P<0.001), vascular complications (P=0.005), rejection (P<0.001), pulmonary complications (P<0.001), infection (P<0.001), returning to the operating room (P<0.001), and other complications (P<0.001). First-year readmission rates increased as the number (P<0.01) and severity (P<0.01) of post-LT complications increased. Patients requiring readmission had decreased survival compared with those not requiring readmission during the first year of discharge after LT (P<0.001). Conclusion Our study identified the factors that place LT recipients at a high risk for readmission. This knowledge could help prevent and minimize rehospitalizations during the first year after LT. Copyright (C) 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.