Causes of early readmissions following lung transplantation are not well understood, and the impact is poorly reported. We reviewed 221 consecutive lung transplantations and identified patients readmitted within 90 days. A case control analysis was performed to determine the characteristics that predict readmission and the impact of readmission on survival. Ninety (44%) of the 205 operative survivors required a total of 125 readmissions during the 90 days after transplantation. Twenty-eight patients (13.7%) required multiple readmissions. Causes for readmissions were pulmonary complication (59%), gastrointestinal (18%), cardiac (5%), metabolic (2.5%), neurological (2.5%), hematological (2%), and miscellaneous (11%). The sex, native disease, or type of transplant did not predict readmission. Requirement of cardiopulmonary bypass for transplantation showed a trend toward significance (P = 0.08). The 90-day conditional survival at 1, 3, and 5 years for those patients readmitted within 90 days were 76%, 59%, and 52%, respectively, compared to 93%, 80%, and 76% for patients not readmitted (P = 0.01). Requirement for readmission within 90 days following transplantation is associated with increased mortality. Sex, native disease, and type of transplant are not predictors of readmission or survival.