Differences in readmissions after open repair versus endovascular aneurysm repair
Casey K, Hernandez-Boussard T, Mell MW, et al (Naval Med Ctr San Diego, CA; Stanford Univ Med Ctr, CA) J Vasc Surg 57:89-95, 2013§
B.W. Starnes, MD
Evidence Ranking
B
Expert Rating
2
Abstract
Objective
Reintervention rates after repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) are higher for endovascular repair (EVAR) than for open repair, mostly due to treatment for endoleaks, whereas open surgical operations for bowel obstruction and abdominal hernias are higher after open repair. However, readmission rates after EVAR or open repair for nonoperative conditions and complications that do not require an intervention are not well documented. We sought to determine reasons for all-cause readmissions within the first year after open repair and EVAR.
Methods
Patients who underwent elective AAA repair in California during a 6-year period were identified from the Health Care and Utilization Project State Inpatient Database. All patients who had a readmission in California ≤1 year of their index procedure were included for evaluation. Readmission rates and primary and secondary diagnoses associated with each readmission were analyzed and recorded.
Results
From 2003 to 2008, there were 15,736 operations for elective AAA repair, comprising 9356 EVARs (60%) and 6380 open repairs (40%). At 1 year postoperatively, the readmission rate was 52.1% after open repair and 55.4% after EVAR (P = .0003). The three most common principal diagnoses associated with readmission after any type of AAA repair were failure to thrive, cardiac issues, and infection. When stratified by repair type, patients who underwent open repair were more likely to be readmitted with primary diagnoses associated with failure to thrive, cardiac complications, and infection compared with EVAR (all P < .001). Those who underwent EVAR were more likely, however, to be readmitted with primary diagnoses of device-related complications (P = .05), cardiac complications, and infection.
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