Early Colonoscopy Does Not Affect 30-Day Readmission After Lower GI Bleeding: Insights from a Nationwide Analysis

Introduction: Lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) is one of the most common indications for hospital admission. The current standard of care for patients admitted with LGIB includes colonoscopy. The aims of this study are to define the rate of readmission in patients with LGIB and to determine whether early colonoscopy within the first 24 h after admission impacts the rate of readmission in these patients.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study on data obtained from the Nationwide Readmission Database and identified patients admitted with lower GI bleed using ICD-10 codes. The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause readmission, and one of our secondary outcomes was the impact of early colonoscopy on 30-day readmission.

Results: We analyzed data from 35,790,513 patients who were admitted for LGIB in 2017. A total of 16.4% of these patients were readmitted within 30 days of discharge, with diverticular bleeding most common diagnosis for readmission. Overall, in-hospital mortality was 1.18% for index admission and 4.44% for readmission. Early colonoscopy did not impact the rate of readmission within 30 days of discharge.

Conclusion: LGIB remains a commonly encountered in clinical practice with a high readmission rate. Mortality is significantly higher during readmission compared to index admission. Early colonoscopy did not impact the 30-day readmission rate.