Background and Goal of Study: 

The incidence of repeat consults or readmissions in polytrauma patients (PTP) is between 6.6 and 7.6%, and it is associated to an increase in morbidity. The PTP who present a higher readmission rate are those initially catalogued as non-life-threatening traumas with a low injury assessment and Injury Severity Score (ISS). 
They receive an early discharge from the hospital. These readmissions have relevant implications for health care costs. Awareness of the predisposing factors will allow setting criteria that would diminish the hospital readmission rate and therefore the morbimortality rate especially in patients with mild to moderate polytrauma. 

Methods: 
This observational retrospective study included all PTP between July 2014 and July 2015 who did not require admission to critical care unit. Demographic variables, trauma characteristics, ISS, initial hospital stay (HS), date and reason of the readmission and total HS were analyzed.

Results: 

178 patients were included, 75% of which male, with an average age of 40.8 years. 98% presented non-intentional origin trauma, a 75% being secondary to traffic accidents. Medium ISS was 4.37 points (ED 1-18 points), initial HS 3.45 days. 17% were readmitted, 58% during the first week after the trauma. Reasons of readmission were: pain 73%, infection 3.8%, others 23%. The HS during readmission was 1.5 days. 7.7% needed surgical intervention, 7.7% antibiotic therapy and 69% analgesia. 

Conclusion(s): 
The readmission rate in our center is higher than the one mentioned in the reviewed literature. Main reason is the lack of analgesic control at patients' home. We conclude, therefore, that we should optimize analgesic conditions when patients are discharged from hospital in order to reduce health care costs.

Early hospital readmission after acute traumatic injury: the experience at a level-i trauma center