Early discharge after colorectal cancer resection: trends and impact on patient outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Implementation of early discharge in colorectal surgery has been effective in improving patient satisfaction and reducing healthcare costs. Readmission rates following early discharge among colorectal cancer patients are believed to be low, however, remain understudied. The objectives of this study were: (i) to describe trends in early post-operative discharge and the associated hospitalization costs; (ii) to explore patient outcomes and resource utilization following early discharge; and (ii) to identify predictors of readmission following early discharge. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study using the Nationwide Readmissions Database. Adult patients admitted with a primary colorectal neoplasm who underwent colectomy or proctectomy between 2010 and 2017 were identified using ICD-9/10 codes. The exposure of interest was early post-operative discharge defined as ≤ 3 days from surgery. Main outcome measures were 30-day readmissions, post-operative complication rates, LOS and cost. RESULTS: In total, 342,242 patients were identified, and of those, 51,977 patients (15.2%) had early discharges. During the study period, the proportion of early discharges significantly increased (R2 = 0.94), from 9.9 to 23.4%, while readmission rates in this group remained unchanged (mean 7.3% ± 0.5). Complications that required bounceback readmission (within 7 days) after early discharge, rather than during index admission, were an independent predictor of longer overall LOS (ß = 0.044, p < 0.001) and higher hospitalization costs (ß = 0.031, p < 0.001). On multiple logistic regression, factors independently associated with bounceback readmission following early discharge were: male gender (OR = 1.47, 95%CI 1.33-1.63); open surgery (OR = 1.37, 95%CI 1.23-1.52); presence of stoma (OR = 1.51, 95%CI 1.22-1.87); transfer to facility or discharge with home health service (OR = 1.53, 95%CI 1.34-1.75); and Medicare/Medicaid insurance (OR = 1.34, 95%CI 1.14-1.57), among others. CONCLUSION: Early post-operative discharge of colorectal cancer patients is increasing despite a lack of improvement in readmission rates and an overall increase in hospitalization costs. Premature discharge of select patients may result in readmissions due to critical complications related to surgery resulting in increased resource utilization.

Trauma in northern Quebec, 2005-2014: epidemiologic features, transfers and patient outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The Inuit people residing in Nunavik, Quebec, are vulnerable to major trauma owing to environmental and social factors; however, there is no systematic data collection for trauma in Nunavik, and, apart from data regarding patients who are transferred to tertiary care centres, no data enter the Quebec trauma registry directly from Nunavik. We performed a study to characterize the epidemiologic features of trauma in Nunavik, and describe indications for transfer and outcomes of patients referred to the tertiary trauma centre. METHODS: We collected data retrospectively for all patients with trauma admitted to the Centre de santé Tulattavik de l'Ungava in Kuujjuaq from 2005 to 2014. Sociodemographic, injury and health services data were extracted. The data were analyzed in conjunction with coroners' reports on death from trauma in Nunavik. RESULTS: A total of 797 trauma cases were identified. The most common causes of injury were motor vehicle collisions (258 cases [32.4%]), falls (137 [17.2%]) and blunt assault (95 [11.9%]). One-third of patients (262 [32.9%]) were transferred to the tertiary care centre in Montréal. The incidence rate of major trauma (Injury Severity Score > 12) was 18.1 and 21.7 per 10 000 person-years in the Kuujjuaq region and the Puvirnituq region, respectively, which translates to a relative risk (RR) of 4 compared to the Quebec population. The disparity observed in trauma mortality rate was even greater, with an RR of 47.6 compared to the Quebec population. CONCLUSION: The study showed major disparity in trauma incidence and mortality rate between Nunavik and the province of Quebec. Our findings allow for a better understanding of the burden of injury and regional trauma mortality in Nunavik, and recommendations for optimization of the trauma system in this unique setting.