Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 May;36(2):99-108.
doi: 10.4266/acc.2020.01144. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

Risk factors for intensive care unit readmission after lung transplantation: a retrospective cohort study

Hye-Bin Kim  1 , Sungwon Na  1 , Hyo Chae Paik  2 , Hyeji Joo  3 , Jeongmin Kim  1
Affiliations

Risk factors for intensive care unit readmission after lung transplantation: a retrospective cohort study

Hye-Bin Kim et al. Acute Crit Care. 2021 May.

Abstract

Background: Lung transplantation (LT) is an accepted therapeutic modality for end-stage lung disease patients. Intensive care unit (ICU) readmission is a risk factor for mortality after LT, for which consistent risk factors have not been elucidated. Thus, we investigated the risk factors for ICU readmission during index hospitalization after LT, particularly regarding the posttransplant condition of LT patients.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we investigated all adult patients undergoing LT between October 2012 and August 2017 at our institution. We collected perioperative data from electronic medical records such as demographics, comorbidities, laboratory findings, ICU readmission, and in-hospital mortality.

Results: We analyzed data for 130 patients. Thirty-two patients (24.6%) were readmitted to the ICU 47 times during index hospitalization. At the initial ICU discharge, the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (odds ratio [OR], 1.464; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.083-1.978; P=0.013) and pH (OR, 0.884; 95% CI, 0.813-0.962; P=0.004; when the pH value increases by 0.01) were related to ICU readmission using multivariable regression analysis and were still significant after adjusting for confounding factors. Thirteen patients (10%) died during the hospitalization period, and the number of ICU readmissions was a significant risk factor for in-hospital mortality. The most common causes of ICU readmission and in-hospital mortality were infection-related.

Conclusions: The SOFA score and pH were associated with increased risk of ICU readmission. Early postoperative management of these factors and thorough posttransplantation infection control can reduce ICU readmission and improve the prognosis of LT patients.

Keywords: intensive care unit; lung transplantation; patient readmission.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow diagram of the study. GVHD: graft-versus-host disease; ICU: intensive care unit; GW: general ward.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Causes of intensive care unit (ICU) readmission. PTE: pulmonary thromboembolism; GI: gastrointestinal.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Cause of in-hospital mortality.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Rutherford RM, Fisher AJ, Hilton C, Forty J, Hasan A, Gould FK, et al. Functional status and quality of life in patients surviving 10 years after lung transplantation. Am J Transplant. 2005;5:1099–104. - PubMed
    1. Wolfe RA, Roys EC, Merion RM. Trends in organ donation and transplantation in the United States, 1999-2008. Am J Transplant. 2010;10(4 Pt 2):961–72. - PubMed
    1. Rosenberg AL, Hofer TP, Hayward RA, Strachan C, Watts CM. Who bounces back? Physiologic and other predictors of intensive care unit readmission. Crit Care Med. 2001;29:511–8. - PubMed
    1. Rosenberg AL, Watts C. Patients readmitted to ICUs: a systematic review of risk factors and outcomes. Chest. 2000;118:492–502. - PubMed
    1. Snow N, Bergin KT, Horrigan TP. Readmission of patients to the surgical intensive care unit: patient profiles and possibilities for prevention. Crit Care Med. 1985;13:961–4. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources