Of 20,376 Lumbar Discectomies, 2.6% of Patients Readmitted within 30 Days: Surgical Site Infection, Pain, and Thromboembolic Events are the Most Common Reasons for Readmission.

Spine 2016
Webb ML1, Nelson SJ

OBJECTIVE:
As an initial effort to address readmissions after lumbar discectomy, reasons for hospital readmission are identified and discussed.
SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA:
Lumbar discectomy is a commonly performed procedure. The Affordable Care Act codifies penalties for hospital readmissions.
RESULTS:
Of 20,376 lumbar discectomies, 533 patients (2.62%) were readmitted within 30 days of surgery. The most common reasons for readmission were surgical site infections (n = 130, 0.64% of all discectomies, 24.4% of all readmissions), followed by pain issues (n = 89, 0.44%, 16.7%), and thromboembolic events (43, 0.21%, 8.1%). Overall time to readmission was 13.0 days ± 8.0 days.
CONCLUSIONS:
Surgical site infection, postoperative pain, and thromboembolic events were the most common reasons for readmission after lumbar discectomy. These findings identify potential areas for quality improvement initiatives.