Unplanned admission after gastrectomy as a consequence of fast-track surgery: a comparative risk analysis

Background: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the incidence of and the risk factors for readmission after gastrectomy. Our hypothesis was that early discharge may be related to an increase in the incidence of readmission. Methods: This was a retrospective, single-center, observational study of 1442 patients who underwent gastrectomy for stage I gastric cancer. The main outcome was the incidence of early readmission after gastrectomy, which was defined as an admission within 6 months after the first discharge day. A stepwise logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the risk factors for readmission after gastrectomy. Results: The surgical procedures performed were total gastrectomy in 217 patients (15.0 %), distal gastrectomy in 845 patients (58.6 %), pylorus-preserving gastrectomy in 342 patients (23.7 %), and proximal gastrectomy in 37 patients (2.6 %). The median hospital stay was 11 days, and there were 63 readmissions for a total of 56 patients (3.8 %). The main reasons for readmission were poor food intake in 14 patients (22.2 %), anastomotic stricture in nine patients (14.3 %), small bowel obstruction in eight patients (12.7 %), and an abdominal distension in seven patients (11.1 %). Endoscopic balloon dilation was performed for the nine patients with anastomotic stricture, drainage was needed for the four patients with an intra-abdominal abscess, and laparotomy was performed for one patient with adhesion-associated bowel obstruction. The long hospitalization during the primary admission and patients who underwent total gastrectomy were risk factors for readmission. Conclusions: Patients with a long hospital stay after gastrectomy are at an increased risk of early readmission, which was likely related to the incidence of severe sequelae specific to gastrectomy.