Background: To assess the burden of postdischarge health care utilization given by readmissions beyond 30 days following immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) nationwide.
Methods: Women with breast cancer who underwent mastectomy and concurrent IBR (autologous and implant-based) were identified within the 2010 to 2019 Nationwide Readmission Database. Cox proportional hazards and generalized linear regression controlling for patient- and hospital-level confounders were used to determine factors associated with 180-day unplanned readmissions and incremental hospital costs, respectively.
Results: Within 180 days, 10.7% of 100,942 women were readmitted following IBR. Readmissions tended to be publicly insured (30.8 vs. 21.7%, p < 0.001) and multimorbid (Elixhauser Comorbidity Index > 2 31.6 vs. 19.6%, p < 0.001) compared with nonreadmitted patients. There were no differences in readmission rates among types of IBR (tissue expander 11.2%, implant 10.7%, autologous 10.8%; p > 0.69). Of all readmissions, 40% occurred within 30 days and 21.7% in a different hospital and 40% required a major procedure in the operating room. Infection was the leading cause of readmissions (29.8%). In risk-adjusted analyses, patients with carcinoma in situ, publicly insured, low socioeconomic status, and higher comorbidity burden were associated with increased readmissions (all p < 0.05). Readmissions resulted in additional $8,971.78 (95% confidence interval: $8,537.72-9,405.84, p < 0.001) in hospital costs, which accounted for 15% of the total cost of IBR nationwide.
Conclusion: The majority of inpatient health care utilization given by readmissions following mastectomy and IBR occurs beyond the 30-day benchmark. There is evidence of fragmentation of care as a quarter of readmissions occur in a different hospital and over one-third require major procedures. Mitigating postoperative infectious complications could result in the highest reduction of readmissions.
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