Pulmonary Embolism Readmission Trend Over the Years: A National Readmission Database Study

Introduction Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is known to be associated with significant short-term and long-term complications. However, with the evolution of PE management, the outcomes of PE-related complications and the need for readmission have not been well studied. The aim of this study is to see the trend in readmissions in PE patients from the years 2010 to 2018. Methods We utilized the National Readmission Database from 2010 to 2018 to identify hospitalized patients with a principal diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism. Identified the total number of readmissions for acute PE from 2010 to 2018. A multivariate cox regression model was used to identify independent predictors of readmission. Results The number of patients with 30-day readmissions has gradually increased from 14,508 in 2010 to 19,703 in 2018. The proportion of females admitted was higher than males in all years. The 30-day all-cause readmission after principal admission for PE decreased from 11.2% to 9.7% from 2010 to 2014 but increased to 11.8% in 2018 (p<0.001). Risk-adjusted readmission specific for PE showed a decrease from 1.2 to 1% (p=0.023) from 2010 to 2018. When adjusted to age and gender, an increase in the proportion of readmissions with intracranial bleeding was seen among both the 30-day (0.7% in 2010 to 1.2% in 2018, aOR 1.06, p<0.001) and 90-day (0.7% in 2010 to 1.2% in 2018, aOR 1.06, p-trend 0.003) cohorts. Similarly, an increasing trend of readmissions for UGI bleed was seen among both 30-day (0.9% vs 4.3%, aOR=1.26, p-trend <0.001) and 90-day readmissions (0.7% vs 3.8%, aOR=1.27, p-trend <0.001). The units of blood transfusion required per readmission reduced in both cohorts during the study period. Conclusion Our study suggests that there is a statistically significant decrease in PE-specific readmission from 2010 to 2018, but an increase in all-cause readmissions. We also report an increase in non-major bleeding during readmissions, including ICH and UGI bleed. These findings warrant further studies to elucidate the mechanism for decreasing PE-specific readmission but possible causes for the increase in all-cause readmission in the hope of optimizing management and continuing improving outcomes.