Early Hospital Readmissions after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Background- Risk factors for 30-day hospital readmission following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) have not been established. Recent studies have reported readmission rates after CABG ranging from 7.1 % to 21%, and causes of readmission have varied in different studies. This study was conducted to evaluate probable risk factors of increased morbidity following CABG surgery during the first 30 postoperative days. Methods- A total of 545 patients who had undergone CABG were followed prospectively for 30 days after surgery. The patients were contacted by telephone to determine readmission. If re-hospitalized in the first 30 days after surgery, the patients were visited and data were collected and analysed. Results- Sixteen out of 545 patients were readmitted. The overall 30-day hospital readmission rate was 2.9%. The most common reason for readmission was sternal infection. There were no significant differences between readmitted and non-readmitted cases in demographic and clinical variables. Conclusion- Unlike other studies in which some factors like female gender and length of hospital stay were risk factors for 30-day hospital readmission after CABG, our data did not show these as predictors of re-hospitalization (Iranian Heart Journal 2006; 7 (1)