Unplanned readmission after appendectomy.

Overview

BACKGROUND: Unplanned readmission of patients who undergo appendectomy is a relatively frequent occurrence. Our aim was to report the most common reasons and the predictors of unplanned readmission after appendectomy. METHODS: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was used to examine the clinical data of patients undergoing emergent and/or urgent appendectomy during 2012 to 2013. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify the predictors of unplanned readmission. RESULTS: We evaluated a total of 46,960 patients who underwent appendectomy. Of these, 18.5% had perforated appendicitis. Overall, 1,755 (3.7%) of patients had an unplanned readmission. The most common reasons for readmission were intra-abdominal infection (27.3%), nonspecific abdominal pain (7.9%), and paralytic ileus (4.6%). Factors such as perforated appendicitis (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.38; P < .01), preoperative sepsis (AOR, 1.30; P < .01), and dirty surgical wound (AOR, 1.91; P < .01) were associated with unplanned readmission. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, 3.7% of patients who underwent emergent appendectomy had an unplanned readmission. Intra-abdominal infections and nonspecific abdominal pain are the most common reasons for readmission. Unplanned readmissions are predominantly related to postoperative complications and severity of disease.