Transitional care interventions to reduce readmission in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease:A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Objective：To objectively assess the effect of transitional care on readmission for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Methods：The PubMed,Science Direct,Web of Science,Cochrane Library,CNKI,and Wanfang databases were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials（RCTs） published from January 1990 through April 2016.The quality of eligible studies was assessed by two investigators.The primary outcome assessed was readmission for COPD and all-cause readmission.The pooled effect sizes were expressed as the relative risk and standard mean difference with 95%confidence intervals.Heterogeneity among studies was assessed using the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions（Version5.1.0） and determined with an I^2 statistic.Results：A total of seven RCTs that included 1879 participants who met the inclusion criteria were analyzed.The results of subgroup analysis showed significant differences in readmission for COPD at the6 month and 18 month time points and all-cause readmission at the 18 month follow-up.Transitional care could reduce readmission for COPD at the 6 month[RR = 0.51,95%CI（0.38,0.68）,P 〈 0.00001]and18 month time points[RR = 0.56,95%CI（0.45,0.69）,P 〈 0.00001,and also reduce all-cause readmission after 18 months[RR = 0.72,95%CI（0.62,0.84）,P 〈 0.0001].The reduction of all-cause readmission between the intervention and control groups in the 2nd year,however,was less than that in the 1st year.Conclusions：Transitional care is beneficial to reducing readmission for patients with COPD.Duration of≥ 6 and ≤ 18 months are more effective,and the effect weakens over intervention time,especially after the end of intervention.Both durations point to the importance of ongoing intervention and reinforcement after the end of intervention.

Intensive care unit readmission in adult Egyptian patients undergoing living donor liver transplant:A single-centre retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND Patients who undergo living donor liver transplantation(LDLT)may suffer complications that require intensive care unit(ICU)readmission.AIM To identify the incidence,causes,and outcomes of ICU readmission after LDLT.METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients who underwent LDLT.The collected data included patient demographics,preoperative characteristics,intraoperative details;postoperative stay,complications,causes of ICU readmission,and outcomes.Patients were divided into two groups according to ICU readmission after hospital discharge.Risk factors for ICU readmission were identified in univariate and multivariate analyses.RESULTS The present study included 299 patients.Thirty-one(10.4%)patients were readmitted to the ICU after discharge.Patients who were readmitted to the ICU were older in age(53.0±5.1 vs 49.4±8.8,P=0.001)and had a significantly higher percentage of women(29%vs 13.4%,P=0.032),diabetics(41.9%vs 24.6%,P=0.039),hypertensives(22.6%vs 6.3%,P=0.006),and renal(6.5%vs 0%,P=0.010)patients as well as a significantly longer initial ICU stay(6 vs 4 d,respectively,P<0.001).Logistic regression analysis revealed that significant independent risk factors for ICU readmission included recipient age(OR=1.048,95%CI=1.005-1.094,P=0.030)and length of initial hospital stay(OR=0.836,95%CI=0.789-0.885,P<0.001).CONCLUSION The identification of high-risk patients(older age and shorter initial hospital stay)before ICU discharge may help provide optimal care and tailor follow-up to reduce the rate of ICU readmission.

Post-Hospital Syndrome and Hyponatremia

Introduction: Post-hospital syndrome (PHS) is defined as a period of vulnerability during the first 30 days after a patient is discharged from hospital, in which multiple factors come into play. Hyponatremia is the most frequent hydroelectrolytic disorder in hospitalized patients and may be related to the appearance of PHS. Objective: The objective is to estimate the prevalence of PHS that is assessed as the rate of readmissions in the first 30 days after discharge, in patients with hyponatremia. Material and Methods: It is a descriptive observational study of patients with hyponatremia who were discharged from 1 September 2010 to 2 February 2020 at the Internal Medicine Service of the Hospital University of San Juan (Alicante, Spain). Results: Of the 25 included patients, 5 (20%) were readmitted within a month of discharge, after a mean of 11.4 days (standard deviation [SD] 5.1). The overall mortality of the study was 20% (n = 5), with one case of death in the first 30 days post-hospitalization (4%). In 12 patients (48%) the origin of the hyponatremia was undetermined. The most frequently recorded etiology for the condition was pharmacological (n = 7, 28%), and there was pronounced variability in its clinical and laboratory study. The most widely used corrective measure was drug withdrawal, in 16 patients (64%). Water intake restriction was the most common treatment after discharge (5 patients, 20%), followed by urea (2 patients, 8%), while tolvaptan was not used. Conclusion: Hyponatremia may be the cause of PHS, which could increase the rate of early readmission. Hyponatremia is an underdiagnosed and undertreated entity, so it is necessary to apply an appropriate system to optimize its management and, in future studies, to assess its impact on PHS.

Effect of aliskiren on postdischarge mortality and heart failure readmissions among patients hospitalized for heart failure:The ASTRONAUT randomized trial

ABSTRACT Importance Hospitalizations for heart failure （HHF） represent a major health burden, with high rates of early postdischarge rehospitalization and mortality. Objective To investigate whether aliskiren, a direct renin inhibitor, when added to standard therapy, would reduce the rate of cardiovascular （CV） death or HF rehospitalization among HHF patients. Design, Setting, and Participants International, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that randomized hemodynamically stable HHF patients a median 5 days after admission. Eligible patients were 18 years or older with left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） 40% or less,