University of Pittsburgh Medical Center assessed the conditions that accounted for the highest number of unplanned hospital readmissions within 30 days, with sepsis leading the pack, according to MedPage Today.
Researchers analyzed 1,187,697 hospitalizations linked to unplanned readmissions within 30 days to reach their conclusions regarding the following five conditions that led to the highest number of unplanned readmissions.
• Sepsis: 12.2 percent
• Heart failure: 6.7 percent
• Pneumonia: 5 percent
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: 4.8 percent
• Acute myocardial infarction: 1.3 percent
"For physicians and patients, I think the most important implication of this study is that sepsis is an acute illness with long-term consequences," Sachin Yende, MD, of the University of Pittsburgh and study co-author, told MedPage Today. "Most people think that once you get better from sepsis and are discharged from the hospital, you don't have to worry about any consequences. What this study shows is that many of the patients are likely to come back into the hospital within 30 days."
