Abstract TP300: Re-admissions in Patients With First Onset of Stroke - Looking Beyond Organ Systems

Abstract

Background: Patients who suffer from a stroke are susceptible to multiple complications, with readmission rates ranging from 20-40% per year, and approximately 25% of readmissions occurring within the first month 1 . Major reasons contributing to readmissions include recurrent stroke (24%), infection (12%), chest pain or myocardial infarction (10%), worsening of stroke symptoms (7%), arrhythmias (7%), and congestive heart failure (3%) 2 . However, additional potentially reversible risk factors have not been extensively studied. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary hospital in Singapore and included 1283 patients who were admitted for stroke between Jan 2014 and Oct 2015. All patients who had previous history of stroke or died on initial presentation were excluded from the study, leaving 957 patients with first stroke presentation. The dates and diagnoses of readmissions in the first 90 days were collected. Elective admissions or readmissions due to recurrent strokes or coronary syndromes were excluded to focus on readmissions due to infections, medication side effects, falls, or care coordination issues. Results: Out of 957 patients, 129 (13.4%) were readmitted within 90 days. 98 (10.2%) were readmitted once in 90 days, while 31 (3.2%) were readmitted multiple (2-7) times. The single readmission group showed a bi-modal distribution with 35.7% of readmissions occurring in the first 15 days, 15.3% in 15-30 days, 34.7% in 30-60 days, and 24.5% in 60-90 days after discharge. In the single readmission group, 36.7% of patients were readmitted for infections (15.3% were urinary tract infections, 21.4% were chest infections), 12.2% were admitted for congestive heart failure symptoms, and 17.3% were admitted for falls or care coordination issues. A majority (59%) of readmitted patients were over the age of 70. 24% of the patients had a middle cerebral artery (MCA) stroke, and 34% had a decrease in function of activities of daily living on discharge. Conclusion: This study helps to highlight high risk groups for readmissions i.e. patients over the age of 70 years, reduction in function on discharge, and patients with MCA strokes, suitable for targeted interventions in order to reduce rate of readmissions in patients with first stroke.