Table 4.
Patient comorbidities associated with unplanned readmission via univariate analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher’s exact test, chi-square test, or logistic regression where appropriate.
| Parameter | Unplanned Readmission, n (%) | No Unplanned Readmission, n (%) | Crude OR‡ | 95% CI | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presence of any comorbidity | 1069 (97.4) | 7877 (90.5) | 3.856 | 2.648–5.165 | <0.001 |
| Presence of any non-CNS comorbidity | 620 (56.5) | 3821 (43.9) | 1.657 | 1.460–1.880 | <0.001 |
| Obesity (BMI for age) | 145 (13.2) | 1148 (13.2) | 1.001 | 0.832–1.205 | 1.000 |
| Pulmonary comorbidity | 227 (20.7) | 1481 (17.0) | 1.271 | 1.087–1.486 | 0.003 |
| Ventilator dependent | 37 (3.4) | 325 (3.7) | 0.899 | 0.636–1.270 | 0.610 |
| Pneumonia | 2 (0.2) | 20 (0.2) | 0.792 | 0.185–3.393 | 1.000 |
| Asthma | 78 (7.1) | 501 (5.8) | 1.252 | 0.977–1.603 | 0.077 |
| Cystic fibrosis | 1 (0.1) | 5 (0.1) | 1.585 | 0.185–13.583 | 0.510 |
| Bronchopulmonary dysplasia | 86 (7.8) | 492 (5.7) | 1.418 | 1.117–1.799 | 0.005 |
| Oxygen support | 72 (6.6) | 421 (4.8) | 1.380 | 1.066–1.787 | 0.019 |
| Structural pulmonary abnormality | 71 (6.5) | 400 (4.6) | 1.435 | 1.106–1.787 | 0.009 |
| GI comorbidity | 222 (20.2) | 1257 (14.4) | 1.501 | 1.280–1.759 | <0.001 |
| Esophageal/gastric/intestinal disease | 218 (19.9) | 1228 (14.1) | 1.508 | 1.285–1.769 | <0.001 |
| Biliary/liver/pancreatic disease | 9 (0.8) | 54 (0.6) | 1.323 | 0.652–2.688 | 0.421 |
| Renal comorbidity | 1 (0.1) | 7 (0.1) | 1.132 | 0.139–9.211 | 1.000 |
| Renal failure | 1 (0.1) | 4 (0.0) | 1.982 | 0.221–17.749 | 0.448 |
| Dialysis | 1 (0.1) | 4 (0.0) | 1.982 | 0.221–17.749 | 0.448 |
| CNS comorbidity | 1036 (94.4) | 7606 (87.4) | 2.406 | 1.848–3.132 | <0.001 |
| Coma >24 hours | 0 (0.0) | 5 (0.1) | NA | NA | NA |
| History of CVA or TBI | 95 (8.7) | 534 (6.1) | 1.449 | 1.153–1.819 | 0.002 |
| CNS tumor | 218 (19.9) | 1360 (15.6) | 1.337 | 1.140–1.568 | <0.001 |
| Developmental delay | 371 (33.8) | 2273 (26.1) | 1.443 | 1.262–1.650 | <0.001 |
| Cerebral palsy | 129 (11.7) | 704 (8.1) | 1.512 | 1.239–1.846 | <0.001 |
| Neuromuscular disorder | 112 (10.2) | 840 (9.7) | 1.063 | 0.863–1.309 | 0.552 |
| Seizure disorder | 254 (23.1) | 1324 (15.2) | 3.629 | 2.209–5.961 | <0.001 |
| Structural CNS abnormality | 862 (78.5) | 6342 (72.9) | 1.359 | 1.168–1.581 | <0.001 |
| Cardiac comorbidity | 126 (11.5) | 922 (10.6) | 1.094 | 0.897–1.333 | 0.378 |
| Steroid use* | 138 (12.6) | 678 (7.8) | 1.701 | 1.400–2.067 | <0.001 |
| Chemotherapy in 30 days prior to surgery | 33 (3.0) | 109 (1.3) | 2.442 | 1.646–3.642 | <0.001 |
| Radiotherapy in 90 days prior to surgery | 10 (0.9) | 28 (0.3) | 2.847 | 1.379–5.877 | 0.008 |
| Open wound (with or without infection) | 39 (3.6) | 188 (2.2) | 1.668 | 1.174–2.368 | 0.007 |
| Tracheostomy at time of surgery | 32 (2.9) | 145 (1.7) | 1.771 | 1.202–2.611 | 0.005 |
| Immune Disease/immunosuppressant use | 13 (1.2) | 74 (0.9) | 1.397 | 0.772–2.527 | 0.302 |
| Nutritional support (IV or NG tube) | 168 (15.3) | 833 (9.6) | 1.706 | 1.426–2.041 | <0.001 |
| Bleeding disorder | 9 (0.8) | 53 (0.6) | 1.349 | 0.663–2.741 | 0.416 |
| Hematologic disorder | 36 (3.3) | 240 (2.8) | 1.195 | 0.837–1.706 | 0.332 |
| Current or previous malignancy | 191 (17.4) | 1046 (12.1) | 1.541 | 1.302–1.825 | <0.001 |
| History of prematurity | 0.002 | ||||
| Term birth (≥ 37 weeks gestation) | 744 (67.8) | 6167 (70.9) | Ref. | ||
| 33–36 weeks gestation | 97 (8.8) | 732 (8.4) | 1.098 | 0.877–1.376 | 0.414 |
| 29–32 weeks gestation | 50 (4.6) | 378 (4.3) | 1.096 | 0.809–1.487 | 0.554 |
| 25–28 weeks gestation | 110 (10.0) | 593 (6.8) | 1.538 | 1.237–1.911 | <0.001 |
| ≤ 24 weeks gestation | 36 (3.3) | 241 (2.8) | 1.238 | 0.865–1.772 | 0.243 |
| Unknown | 61 (5.6) | 590 (6.8) | 0.857 | 0.651–1.128 | 0.270 |
| Intraventricular hemorrhage | 141 (12.8) | 873 (10.0) | 1.321 | 1.092–1.598 | 0.005 |
| Congenital malformation, any system | 402 (36.6) | 3247 (37.3) | 0.970 | 0.852–1.105 | 0.667 |
| SIRS/Sepsis within 48 hr before surgery | 19 (1.7) | 130 (1.5) | 1.161 | 0.714–1.887 | 0.514 |
CVA = cerebrovascular accident (stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage), BMI = body mass index, GI = gastrointestinal, TBI = traumatic brain injury, IV = intravenous, NG = nasogastric, SIRS = systemic inflammatory response syndrome, NA = not applicable, Ref. = reference categorical variable.
Steroid use is defined as use of oral or parenteral corticosteroid within 30 days prior to the principal procedure or at the time the patient is being considered as a candidate for surgery; does not include short term use, such as a one-time pulse, limited short course, or a taper of less than 10 days.
Unadjusted odds ratio is in reference to the null state for variables without an explicitly defined reference category; i.e., the odds ratio is in reference to cases without the comorbidity listed.