Rate, Causes, and Predictors of 30-Day Readmission Following Hospitalization for Acute Pericarditis

Background: Acute pericarditis is a frequent cause of hospitalization in the United States. Although recurrence of this condition is common, few studies have investigated hospital readmissions in this patient population. Methods: We queried the National Readmission Database for the years 2016 and 2017 to identify adult admissions for acute pericarditis, and analyzed the data for 30-day readmission. Using multivariate Cox regression analysis, we identified clinical characteristics that were independently predictive of hospital readmission within 30 days. Results: A total of 21,335 patients (mean age 52.5 ± 0.2 years; 38.3% women) who were discharged following hospitalization for acute pericarditis were included. The rate of 30-day readmission was 12.9% (n = 2740). Increasing age (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.05 per 5-year increase; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.09; P < 0.001), female sex (adjusted HR 1.33; 95% CI, 1.18-1.49; P < 0.001), dialysis dependence (adjusted HR 1.70; 95% CI, 1.30-2.22; P < 0.001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (adjusted HR 1.27; 95% CI, 1.11–1.45; P < 0.001), and presence of pericardial effusion (adjusted HR 1.24; 95% CI, 1.04-1.49; P = 0.02) were independently associated with a higher risk of readmission. In-hospital mortality was significantly higher after readmission than for the index hospitalization (3.4% vs 1.0%, P < 0.001). Conclusion: After hospitalization for acute pericarditis, readmission within 30 days is common and is associated with increased mortality. Identification of characteristics associated with a higher risk of readmission may lead to focused interventions to improve outcomes.