Among 591 stroke survivors, 36.0% experienced at least one unscheduled hospital readmission within 18 months, most commonly due to pneumonia, recurrent stroke, and falls.
Cohort (n=591)
No
What are the rates and risk factors for unscheduled hospital readmissions in the 18 months following stroke discharge?
Over a third of stroke survivors experience unscheduled hospital readmissions within 18 months, most commonly due to pneumonia, recurrent stroke, and falls, highlighting the need for targeted post-discharge care.
Abstract Background and aims Stroke survivors are at risk of unscheduled readmission in the months and years following stroke for reasons such as falls, fractures, aspiration pneumonias, seizures, cardiovascular disease and adverse medication events. Methods All live stroke discharges from an Irish stroke centre between 01/07/2017 and 31/12/2018, and between 01/03/2022 and 28/02/2023, were followed for a period of 18 months to identify any unscheduled hospital readmissions. Data was collected retrospectively on index stroke aetiology, resultant disability, medical history, medication, and cause of subsequent readmission. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for readmission, as well as disease-specific risk factors for readmission with pneumonias and falls. Results In total, 591 patients were discharged following a stroke during the period of data collection and 213 (36.0%) had at least one unscheduled readmission in the 18 months post discharge, totalling 366 readmissions. The commonest causes of readmission were pneumonia (20.4%), recurrent stroke (13.9%) and falls (12.0%). After controlling for age and gender, risk factors for readmission included Charlson Comorbidity Index, anticoagulant use, pneumonia in the two years prior to ischaemic stroke, and polypharmacy. Risk factors for LRTI included dementia, polypharmacy and pre-stroke disability, while readmission with a fall was associated with post-stroke disability, diabetes mellitus and antidepressant use. Conclusions Our study confirmed high rates of unscheduled readmission in the 18 months following live stroke discharge and identified risk factors for all-cause readmissions, pneumonias and falls. Risk factors such as medication use and history of pneumonia pre-stroke have not previously been explored. Conflict of interest Dr Elizabeth Murphy: nothing to disclose. Helen Hobson: nothing to disclose. Gillian Harte: nothing to disclose. Dr Derek Hayden: nothing to disclose. Dr Daniel Ryan: nothing to disclose.
Murphy et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Stroke (n=591). Risk factors for unscheduled readmission was evaluated on Unscheduled hospital readmissions. Among 591 stroke survivors, 36.0% experienced at least one unscheduled hospital readmission within 18 months, most commonly due to pneumonia, recurrent stroke, and falls.
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