Hospital Readmissions of Discharged Patients with COVID-19.

To analyse the rate of occurrence and the clinical variables associated with readmission of patients who had previously been discharged after admission for COVID-19. University hospital in Madrid (Spain). Sixty-one patients (74% male) who presented COVID-19 were readmitted during the 3 weeks after discharge from hospital. Nested case-control study paired (1:1 ratio) by age, sex and period of admission. Rate of readmission rate of patients discharged after suffering COVID-19 and identification of the clinical variables associated with it. Out of 1368 patients who were discharged during the study period, 61 patients (4.4%) were readmitted. Immunocompromised patients (N=10.2%) were at increased risk for readmission (p=0.04). There was also a trend towards a higher probability of readmission in hypertensive patients (p=0.07). Cases had had a shorter hospital stay and a higher prevalence of fever during the 48 hours prior to discharge. There were no significant differences in oxygen levels measured at admission and discharge by pulse oximetry intra-subject or between the groups. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio at hospital admission tended to be higher in cases than in controls (p=0.06). Neither glucocorticoids nor anticoagulants prescribed at hospital discharge were associated with a lower readmission rate. Patients who were readmitted due to a thrombotic event (8 patients, 13.1%) presented a higher level of D-dimer at discharge of initial admission. The rate of readmission after discharge from hospital for COVID-19 was low. Immunocompromised patients and those presenting with fever during the 48 hours prior to discharge were at greater risk of readmission to hospital.

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© 2020 Parra et al.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Ana Fernández Cruz reports advisory for Gilead and educational activity for MSD, outside the submitted work. The authors declare that they do not have any other conflicts of interest related to this work.