Factors Associated with Hospital Readmissions among Patients with COVID-19: A Single Center Experience.

Objectives Identify factors associated with readmission after an index hospital admission for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in a single center serving an underserved and predominantly minority population. Methods This retrospective descriptive study included 275 patients who tested COVID-19 positive via reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay at our institution and who survived the index hospitalization. Outcomes Main outcomes were 1-month and 6-month readmission rates after an index hospitalization for COVID-19. Mortality rate among the readmitted patients was also determined. Factors independently associated with readmission were investigated using multivariable logistic regression. Results A final sample of 275 patients were included. The mean age was 64.69 ±14.64 (SD) 133 (48%) were female and 194 (70%) were African American. Their chronic medical conditions included hypertension 203 (74%) and diabetes mellitus 121 (44%). After the hospitalization, 1-month readmission rate was 7.6%, while 6-month readmission rate was 24%. 9% of patients who were readmitted subsequently died. Coronary artery disease (CAD) was significantly associated with 6-month readmission OR 2.15 (95% CI 1.04-4.44; p=0.039) after adjustment for age, gender, ethnicity and comorbidities. Readmissions were due to cardiac, respiratory, and musculoskeletal symptoms. Hispanic ethnicity was associated with increased readmission OR 3.16 (95% CI 1.01-9.88; p=0.048). No significant difference was found between inflammatory markers or clinical outcomes during the index hospitalization among patients who were readmitted compared to those who were not. Conclusions A significant number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 may be readmitted. Presence of CAD is independently associated with high rates of 6-month readmission. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.