Infection-Related Readmissions Are Rising among Patients with Hepatorenal Syndrome: A Nationwide Analysis

Abstract

Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a unique form of renal dysfunction that results from circulatory hemodynamic dysfunction in advanced liver disease. We aimed to determine longitudinal trends in both all-cause and cause-specific readmissions for HRS in the United States. Using the National Readmission Database (2010–2018), we identified adult HRS patients during index admission via ICD codes. Fisher’s exact test and Cox regression analysis were used to compare proportions and compute adjusted p-values, respectively. Regression models were adjusted for gender, age, the Charlson comorbidity index, median household income, and hospital factors. A total of 169,522 HRS patients were included in the analysis (overall mean age 58.97 years). The incidence of HRS hospitalization increased from 5.30% in 2010 to 5.84% in 2018 (p < 0.01). Over the same duration, all-cause readmission at 30 days showed an overall increasing trend from 19.81% to 19.99% (trend p < 0.01). HRS-specific readmission at 30 days following an index hospitalization ranged from 13.60 to 15.98, with an overall increasing trend in the study period (2010–2018). While cirrhosis, hepatic failure, and infection were uniformly the three most common causes of readmission throughout the study period, cirrhosis and infection showed an upward trend. Rising readmissions, especially with hepatic failure and infection, in HRS patients signal a need for national strategies to manage and prevent HRS towards reducing its healthcare burden.