BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors and outcome implications for 30-day hospital readmission in lung transplant recipients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of lung transplant cases from a single, high-volume lung transplant program between January 2000 and March 2012. Demographic and health data were reviewed for all patients. Risk factors for 30-day readmission (defined as readmission within 30 days of discharge from index lung transplant hospitalization) were modeled using logistic regression, with selection of parameters by backward elimination. RESULTS: The sample comprised 795 patients after excluding scheduled readmissions and in-hospital deaths. Overall 30-day readmission rate was 45.4% (n = 361). Readmission rates were similar across different diagnosis categories and procedure types. By univariate analysis, post-operative complications that predisposed to 30-day readmission included pneumonia, any infection, and atrial fibrillation (all p < 0.05). In the final multivariate model, occurrence of any post-transplant complication was the most significant risk factor for 30-day readmission (odds ratio = 1.764; 95% confidence interval, 1.259-2.470). Even for patients with no documented perioperative complication, readmission rates were still >35%. Kaplan-Meier analysis and multi-variate regression modeling to assess readmission as a predictor of long-term outcomes showed that 30-day readmission was not a significant predictor of worse survival in lung recipients. CONCLUSIONS: Occurrence of at least 1 post-transplant complication increases risk for 30-day readmission in lung transplant recipients. In this patient population, 30-day readmission does not predispose to adverse long-term survival. Quality indicators other than 30-day readmission may be needed to assess hospitals that perform lung transplantation.