Care Fragmentation during Postoperative Readmissions May Be Associated with Higher Mortality

Nonindex readmission after surgery (admission to a hospital other than the one where the surgery was performed) is common and may be associated with higher mortality, say the authors of a review and meta-analysisin the March 2019 issue of Surgery. The authors performed a systematic review of the literature, yielding 23 studies. Some of the risk factors for nonindex readmission may not be modifiable, the authors found, such as older age and lower income. The "single most consistent factor" predicting readmission was residing in a rural area or living too far away (in one study, more than eight miles) to return to the original hospital if urgent complications arise.