The possibility of re-hospitalization for patients with COVID-19 after discharge, is investigated in an article published in the prestigious scientific journal JAMA.
According to the findings, almost one in ten patients who were discharged after hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2 infection had to be re-hospitalized within two months of hospitalization. The doctors of the Therapeutic Clinic of the Medical School of the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Eleni Koromboki, Theodora Psaltopoulou and Thanos Dimopoulos (Rector of EKPA), summarize the recent data.
In an effort to shed more light on patients' outcome after hospitalization for COVID-19, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed data from 126,137 patients who were hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 infection between March and July. 2020. The researchers observed that 15% of patients died during their initial hospitalization, while among those who survived 9% were re-admitted to the same hospital within 2 months and 1.6% were re-hospitalized more than once. In addition, the rate of resuscitation after discharge was 15% for patients who continued their treatment in a nursing home, 12% for those who received home care and 7% for those who did not require medical care. Less than 0.1% of resuscitated patients died. Diseases of the circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems were the main diagnoses during resuscitation.
A history of pre-existing lung disease, heart failure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease significantly increases the chances of re-hospitalization, according to the researchers. This is confirmed by the finding that about two-thirds of patients who remained home after discharge, receiving or not receiving medical care, and eventually re-hospitalized had at least one of these chronic diseases. In addition, the likelihood of re-hospitalization for Hispanic and colored patients was lower than for whites.
Based on the above, the researchers conclude that these data can significantly help in the effort to reduce COVID-19 – especially in high-risk populations – as well as in identifying the best possible treatment plan for hospitalized patients after discharge.
