Incidence and causes of early hospital readmissions after living donor renal transplant – A single centre study

Abstract

Background: Kidney transplantation in spite of being the best modality for the treatment of ESRD remains a complex therapeutic option as it has its own set of problems due to associated morbidity especially in the first month after transplantation. Aim: The primary aim of this study was to find the incidence, causes, and factors responsible for early hospital readmissions (EHRs) and secondary aim was to find the effect of EHR on morbidity, mortality, and graft loss. Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis of the records of the chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients who underwent living donor renal transplantation. 202 patients were included in the study. Inpatient records and charts were assessed for the medical status of the patients, cause of CKD, comorbidities, admissions 3 months prior to transplant, vintage dialysis, and modality of dialysis. Results: Sixty‑one (30.2%) patients were readmitted to the hospital once or more within 30 days of discharge after renal transplantation. Thirty‑four (55.7%) patients in the EHR group were admitted once or more in the 90 days prior to transplant as compared to 48 (34%) patients in the no readmission group. Thirty‑four (55.7%) patients in the EHR group were hospitalised again within 1 year of EHR and 50 (35.5%) in the no EHR group got admitted within 1 year of discharge.
Conclusions: Renal transplant recipients with hospital admissions 90 days before transplant and readmissions within 30 days of discharge after transplantation are at high risk of morbidity and should be treated as high‑risk category and should have more stringent follow‑up protocols.