Readmissions following umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantation.

Abstract

272 Background: Readmission within 30 days of discharge has been perceived by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to be an indicator of poor healthcare quality, however it is unclear how accurately this applies to oncology patients. Patients treated with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have high rates of readmission, but the incidence following umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) is poorly described. The goal of this study was to identify the incidence, reasons, and risk factors for readmission following UCBT. Methods: A retrospective review of patients receiving an UCBT at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Hospital between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2013 was performed. The 30-day and the day +100, a traditional assessment point in transplantation, readmission rates were examined. Reasons for readmission, as well as sociodemographic and disease and stem cell transplant related variables were evaluated. Predictors of readmission were identified using multivariate regression analysis. Results: 33.6% (42/125) of patients were readmitted within 30 days of discharge. Of patients who survived until day +100, 46.7% (57/122) were readmitted within 100 days of UCBT. The most common cause for readmission was infection (38.3%), followed by fever without a source (14.8%) and graft vs. host disease (GVHD) (8.6%) (Table). A multivariate logistic regression model of the probability of being readmitted within 30 days and by day +100 suggested that infection during transplant admission was a significant risk factor for readmission (OR: 5.1, p=0.003 and OR: 2.9, p=0.014, respectively). Conclusions: There is a high rate of readmission within 30 days and by day +100 following UCBT. The most common causes of readmission were infection and fever without a source. Infection during the transplant admission predicted a higher risk of readmission, suggesting a possible group to target for interventions aimed at reducing readmissions and improving quality of care. [Table: see text]