Thirty-day hospital readmission and emergency department visits after vascular surgery: a Canadian prospective cohort study

Background: Rates of hospital readmission following surgery can serve as a marker for quality of care. The aim of this study was to establish the rates and causes of readmission and emergency department visits after vascular surgery and to understand how these patients are managed. Methods: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study including all inpatients who underwent major vascular surgery between September 2015 and June 2016 at a tertiary vascular care centre in Toronto. Patients were followed at 30 days after discharge via telephone interview. Results: We enrolled 133 patients (94 men [70.7%] and 39 women [29.3%] with a mean age of 65.3 years). The most common index admission diagnosis was peripheral artery disease (67 patients [50.4%]). At 30 days, 19 patients (14.8%) had been readmitted or had visited the emergency department, most commonly after lower extremity revascularization (19.4%). Ten patients were readmitted a mean of 16.8 days following discharge; surgical site infection was the most common cause for readmission (3 patients). The most common treatment was antimicrobial therapy (4 patients). The mean hospital length of stay was 14.4 days. Nine patients presented to the emergency department a mean of 10.6 days after discharge; 6 reported a wound issue, and most (6 of 9) were managed with oral antibiotic treatment. Conclusion: Early readmission/emergency department visits after lower extremity revascularization surgery in patients with peripheral artery disease are common and arc often due to surgical site infection or wound-related issues. Follow-up within 7-10 days and a specialized wound care team may help reduce the occurrence of these events.