Analysis of readmissions to the emergency department among patients presenting with abdominal pain

Background: Abdominal pain is one of the most common complaints among patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED). Diagnosis and management of abdominal pain may be a challenge and there are patients who require admission to the ED more than once in a short period of time. Our purpose was to assess the incidence of readmissions among patients treated in the ED due to abdominal pain and to investigate the impact of readmission on the further course of treatment. Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study, which included patients admitted to the ED in one academic, teaching hospital presenting with non-traumatic abdominal pain in a three-month period. Analyzed factors included demographic data, details related to first and subsequent visits in the ED and the course of hospitalization. Results: Overall, 928 patients were included to the study and 101 (10.88%) patients were admitted to the ED more than once during three-month period. Patients visiting ED repeatedly were older (p = 0.03) and more likely to be hospitalized (p < 0.01) compared to single-visit patients. Patients during their subsequent visits spent more time in the ED (p = 0.01), had greater chance to repeat their appointment (p = 0.04), be admitted to the hospital (p < 0.01) and were more likely diagnosed with cholelithiasis (p = 0.03) compared to patients on their initial visit. If admitted to the surgical department they were also more often qualified for surgical procedure than patients on their first visit (p < 0.01). In a group of patients admitted to the surgical department there were no significant differences in rates of conversion, postoperative complications and mortality between subgroups. Conclusions: Readmissions among patients presenting with abdominal pain are a common phenomenon with prevalence of 10.88%. They are most commonly associated with cholelithiasis and occur more frequently among older patients, which suggests, that elderly require more attention during ED managements.