Table 2.
Characteristics of the Index Hospital Admission
| Characteristic | Readmitted Within 30 Days (n = 655)a | Not Readmitted Within 30 Days (n = 1,393)a | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 60 (52‐70) | 60 (51‐70) | 0.66 |
| Men, % | 62.4 | 57.4 | <0.001 |
| Race, % | |||
| Non‐Hispanic white | 89.2 | 89.8 | 0.99 |
| Length of stay, days | 5 (3‐10) | 4 (2‐6) | <0.001 |
| Date of index admission | |||
| WBC count (/1,000 mm3) | 8.3 (5.6‐12.5) | 7.4 (5.1‐10.6) | <0.001 |
| Platelet count (/1,000 mm3) | 138 (84‐214) | 136 (82‐200) | <0.001 |
| Serum albumin level (g/dL) | 2.9 (2.5‐3.3) | 3.0 (2.5‐3.4) | 0.02 |
| MELD score | 18 (12.0‐23.0) | 14 (10.0‐19.0) | <0.001 |
| MELD‐Na score | 21 (14.4‐27.5) | 17.1 (12.9‐22.5) | <0.001 |
| Date of discharge from the index admission | |||
| MELD score | 17 (11.0‐24.0) | 13 (9.5‐18.0) | <0.001 |
| MELD‐Na score | 20.2 (14.0‐26.0) | 16 (11.2‐20.8) | <0.001 |
| Cause of cirrhosis, n (%) | |||
| Alcohol | 262 (40) | 375 (27) | <0.001 |
| Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis | 125 (19) | 446 (32) | <0.001 |
| Autoimmune disease | 59 (9) | 89 (6.4) | 0.059 |
| Viral | 137 (21) | 235 (16.9) | 0.007 |
| Other | 72 (11) | 248 (17.8) | 0.008 |
| Disposition, % | |||
| Home | 39.4 | 67.5 | <0.001 |
| Skilled nursing facility | 33.7 | 21.6 | <0.001 |
| Rehabilitation facility | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.07 |
| Home hospice care | 6.8 | 5.2 | 0.18 |
| Nursing home | 17.9 | 4.6 | <0.001 |
a
Values are expressed as median (interquartile range) unless otherwise specified.
Abbreviations: WBC, white blood cell.