Readmission for Treatment Failure After Nonoperative Management of Acute Diverticulitis: A Nationwide Readmissions Database Analysis

BACKGROUND The true incidence of, and risk factors for, readmission for treatment failure after nonoperative management of acute diverticulitis remain poorly understood. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to describe the incidence and risk factors for readmission for treatment failure after nonoperative management of acute diverticulitis using a large national database. DESIGN This was a retrospective cohort study. SETTINGS A representative sample of admissions and discharges from hospitals in the United States captured in the National Readmissions Database were included. PATIENTS Adult patients (age ≥18 y) admitted with a primary diagnostic of colonic diverticulitis between 2010 and 2015 and who were managed nonoperatively and discharged from hospital alive were included. INTERVENTIONS Study intervention included nonoperative management, consisting of medical therapy with or without percutaneous drainage. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Readmission for treatment failure (defined as a nonelective readmission for diverticulitis within 90 d of discharge), complicated treatment failure (defined as a treatment failure with complicated diverticulitis), and time-to-treatment failure were measured. RESULTS In total, 201,384 patients were included. The overall incidence of readmission for treatment failure was 6.6%. Treatment failure was significantly higher among patients with an index episode of acute complicated diverticulitis compared with acute uncomplicated diverticulitis (12.5% vs 5.7%; p < 0.001). The median time-to-readmission for treatment failure was 21.0 days (range, 20.4-21.6 d), and 85% of all readmissions occurred within 60 days of discharge. On multiple logistic regression, factors independently associated with readmission for treatment failure were an index admission of complicated diverticulitis (OR = 2.06 (95% CI, 1.97-2.16)), disposition on discharge (against medical advice: OR = 1.92 (95% CI, 1.66-2.20); home health care arrangements: OR = 1.24 (95% CI, 1.16-1.33)), and immunosuppression (OR = 1.42 (95% CI, 1.28-1.57)), among others. Risk factors for a complicated treatment failure were also described, after an index episode of complicated and uncomplicated diverticulitis. LIMITATIONS The study was limited by residual confounding from missing covariates and its observational study design. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of readmission for treatment failure after an episode of diverticulitis managed nonoperatively is 6.6%, and an index episode of complicated diverticulitis is the strongest risk factor for treatment failure. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B92. REINGRESO POR FRACASO DEL TRATAMIENTO DESPUES DEL TRATAMIENTO NO QUIRURGICO DE LA DIVERTICULITIS AGUDA: UN ANALISIS DE LA BASE DE DATOS DE REINGRESOS A NIVEL NACIONAL: La verdadera incidencia y los factores de riesgo para el reingreso por fracaso del tratamiento despues de manejo no quirurgico de la diverticulitis aguda siguen siendo mal definidos.Definir la incidencia y los factores de riesgo de reingreso por fracaso del tratamiento no quirurgico de la diverticulitis aguda utilizando una base de datos nacional.Estudio de cohorte retrospectivo.Una muestra representativa de ingresos y egresos de hospitales en los Estados Unidos capturados en la base de datos nacional de reingresos hospitalarios.Pacientes adultos (≥18 anos) ingresados con un diagnostico primario de diverticulitis colonica entre 2010-2015, y que fueron tratados de forma no operativa y dados de alta del hospital vivos.Manejo no quirurgico, que consiste en terapia medica con o sin drenaje percutaneo.Reingreso por fracaso del tratamiento (definido como un reingreso no electivo por diverticulitis dentro de los 90 dias despues de ser dados de alta), fracaso del tratamiento complicado (definido como un fracaso del tratamiento con diverticulitis complicada) y el tiempo hasta el tratamiento en casos fracasaados.201.384 pacientes incluidos en total. La incidencia global de reingreso por fracaso del tratamiento fue del 6,6%. El fracaso del tratamiento fue significativamente mayor entre los pacientes con un episodio indice de diverticulitis aguda complicada en comparacion con la diverticulitis aguda no complicada (12.5% vs. 5.7%, p