Impact of Early Hospital Readmissions After Kidney Transplantation on Graft Function

Abstract

Early hospital readmissions are common after kidney transplantation. This single-center retrospective study investigated the relationship between early hospital readmissions and clinical outcomes. All adult patients receiving a kidney transplant at this center between March 2009 and June 2015 were included. The early hospital readmissions within the first 30 days were numbered, and the diagnosis was ascertained. The patients were divided into None and Readmission groups. Clinical outcomes and patient- and death-censored graft survival were compared. Among the 103 patients included in the study, 32 (31.1%) had 1 or more readmissions within 30 days. Surgical complications, electrolyte imbalance, and acute rejection were common causes of readmission. No differences were observed in baseline characteristics between the two groups. Patients with early readmissions exhibited low renal function at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively (P = .002, .020, and .013, respectively). No difference in graft function was found 12 months after transplantation between the None and Readmission groups. Five-year graft and patient survival also showed no difference between the two groups (P = .424 and .442, respectively). In conclusion, early readmission after kidney transplantation affected lower graft function until 1 year after kidney transplantation. However, the long-term effect on graft function is limited in this study.