BACKGROUND: Pancreatectomies have been identified as procedures with an increased risk of readmission. In surgical patients, readmissions within 30 days of discharge are usually procedure-related. We sought to determine predictors of 30-day readmission following pancreatic resections in a large healthcare system.

METHODS: We retrospectively collected information from the records of 383 patients who underwent pancreatic resections from 2004-2013. To find the predictors of readmission in the 30 days after discharge, we performed a univariate screen of possible variables using the Fisher's exact test for categorical variables and the Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables. Multivariate analysis was used to determine the independent factors.

RESULTS: Fifty-eight (15.1%) patients were readmitted within 30 days of discharge. Of the patients readmitted, the most common diagnoses at readmission were sepsis (17.2%), and dehydration (8.6%). Multivariate logistic regression found that the development of intra-abdominal fluid collections (OR?=?5.32, P?<?0.0001), new thromboembolic events (OR?=?4.08, P?=?0.016), and pre-operative BMI (OR?=?1.06, P?=?0.040) were independent risk factors of readmission within 30 days of discharge.

CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate that factors predictive of 30-day readmission are a combination of patient characteristics and the development of post-operative complications. Targeted interventions may be used to reduce the risk of readmission.