Readmission After Liver Resection for Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: a Multi-Institutional Analysis

The objective of the current study was to define the incidence of 30-day readmission after hepatic resection for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). In particular, we sought to identify risk factors associated with a higher risk of readmission among patients undergoing resection for ICC. Patients who underwent hepatic resection for ICC at 12 major hepatobiliary centers in the USA, Europe, Australia, and Asia between 1990 and 2013 were identified. Thirty-day readmission and clinicopathologic characteristics associated with higher risk of readmission were examined. Among 602 patients, 401 (68.3 %) patients underwent a major hepatectomy and 256 (43.3 %) experienced at least one post-operative complication. Overall 30-day readmission was 7.8 % (n = 47). Risk factors associated with readmission included pre-operative jaundice (odds ratio (OR) 2.45) and the presence of a major complication (OR 3.38). In fact, 95.7 % of readmitted patients had experienced a post-operative complication versus only 38.8 % of non-readmitted patients (P < 0.001). Among patients who were readmitted, repeat hospitalization was associated with a median LOS of 6.5 days (interquartile range (IQR) 4.0-11.5) and one patient died during readmission. Readmission after hepatic resection for ICC occurred in 1 in 13 patients. Patients with pre-operative jaundice and those who experienced a complication had over a threefold higher risk of being readmitted.