Unplanned Emergency Department Visits within 30 Days of Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction

Background: Unplanned emergency department visits are often overlooked as an indicator of care quality. The authors' objectives were to (1) determine the rate of 30-day emergency department visits following mastectomy with or without immediate reconstruction, (2) perform a risk analysis of potential factors associated with emergency department return, and (3) assess for potentially preventable visits with a focus on returns for pain. Methods: Using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project data, the authors identified adult women who underwent mastectomy with or without reconstruction. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to evaluate risk of unplanned emergency department visits. The authors identified and sorted diagnostic codes to investigate why patients were seeking emergency department care. In addition, the authors performed a subgroup analysis on patients returning with a pain-related diagnosis to evaluate risk. Results: Of 159,275 cases of mastectomy with or without immediate reconstruction, 4917 (3.1 percent) experienced an unplanned return to the emergency department within 30 days of operation. A substantial proportion of those who returned (23 percent) presented with a pain-related diagnosis. Only 0.9 percent of cases with a 30-day emergency department return were readmitted. Conclusions: Numerous patients return to the emergency department within 30 days of mastectomy with or without immediate reconstruction. There is a need for policy makers and physicians to implement strategies to reduce discretionary emergency department use, specifically among younger or publicly insured patients. Combining unplanned emergency department visits with readmission rates as a care quality indicator warrants consideration.