Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Readmissions After Acute Myocardial Infarction: How Often Do Patients Return to the Discharging Hospital?

Publication ,  Journal Article
Rymer, JA; Chen, AY; Thomas, L; Fonarow, GC; Peterson, ED; Wang, TY
Published in: J Am Heart Assoc
October 2019

Background When patients require readmission after a recent myocardial infarction (MI), returning to the discharging (index) hospital may be associated with better outcomes as a result of greater continuity in care. However, little evidence exists to answer this frequent patient question. Methods and Results Among Medicare patients aged ≥65 years discharged home alive post-MI from 491 US hospitals in the ACTION (Acute Coronary Treatment Intervention Outcomes Network) Registry, we compared reason for readmission, duration of rehospitalization, and 30-day mortality between patients readmitted to the index versus nonindex hospital within 30 days of index MI discharge. Among 53 471 MI patients, 7715 (14%) were readmitted within 30 days, and most readmitted patients (73%) returned to the discharging hospital. Reason for readmission was not significantly associated with location of readmission. In multivariable modeling, the strongest factors associated with readmission to a nonindex hospital were distance from the discharging hospital, transfer-in during the index MI hospitalization, and frequency of nonindex hospital admissions in the year preceding to the index MI. Duration of rehospitalization did not differ significantly between patients readmitted to the index versus nonindex hospital (median, 4 versus 3 days; P=0.17). Mortality risk was also not significantly different between patients readmitted to the index versus nonindex hospital overall (7.4 versus 7.7%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.73-1.10) and when stratified by reason for readmission (P for interaction=0.61). Conclusions Post-MI readmissions did not differ in reason for readmission, duration of rehospitalization, or associated mortality when compared between patients who returned to the discharging hospital and those who sought care elsewhere.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

J Am Heart Assoc

DOI

EISSN

2047-9980

Publication Date

October 2019

Volume

8

Issue

19

Start / End Page

e012059

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • Time Factors
  • Risk Factors
  • Risk Assessment
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Registries
  • Prognosis
  • Patient Transfer
  • Patient Readmission
  • Patient Discharge
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Rymer, J. A., Chen, A. Y., Thomas, L., Fonarow, G. C., Peterson, E. D., & Wang, T. Y. (2019). Readmissions After Acute Myocardial Infarction: How Often Do Patients Return to the Discharging Hospital? J Am Heart Assoc, 8(19), e012059. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.119.012059
Rymer, Jennifer A., Anita Y. Chen, Laine Thomas, Gregg C. Fonarow, Eric D. Peterson, and Tracy Y. Wang. “Readmissions After Acute Myocardial Infarction: How Often Do Patients Return to the Discharging Hospital?J Am Heart Assoc 8, no. 19 (October 2019): e012059. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.119.012059.
Rymer JA, Chen AY, Thomas L, Fonarow GC, Peterson ED, Wang TY. Readmissions After Acute Myocardial Infarction: How Often Do Patients Return to the Discharging Hospital? J Am Heart Assoc. 2019 Oct;8(19):e012059.
Rymer, Jennifer A., et al. “Readmissions After Acute Myocardial Infarction: How Often Do Patients Return to the Discharging Hospital?J Am Heart Assoc, vol. 8, no. 19, Oct. 2019, p. e012059. Pubmed, doi:10.1161/JAHA.119.012059.
Rymer JA, Chen AY, Thomas L, Fonarow GC, Peterson ED, Wang TY. Readmissions After Acute Myocardial Infarction: How Often Do Patients Return to the Discharging Hospital? J Am Heart Assoc. 2019 Oct;8(19):e012059.
Journal cover image

Published In

J Am Heart Assoc

DOI

EISSN

2047-9980

Publication Date

October 2019

Volume

8

Issue

19

Start / End Page

e012059

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • United States
  • Time Factors
  • Risk Factors
  • Risk Assessment
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Registries
  • Prognosis
  • Patient Transfer
  • Patient Readmission
  • Patient Discharge