Association of Sarcopenia and Low Nutritional Status with Unplanned Hospital Readmission after Radical Gastrectomy in Patients with Gastric Cancer: A Case-Control Study

OBJECTIVE: Sarcopenia is one of the influencing factors of poor prognosis in patients with gastric cancer but the association with readmission are unknown. We aimed to explore factors associated with readmission after gastrectomy and to determine whether preoperative sarcopenia is a common outcome in readmitted patients. METHODS: In this case-control study, patients who underwent gastric resection in the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University between April 2016 and September 2017 were included. The reasons of readmission patients were described. The readmission patients and non-readmission patients were matched by propensity score matching (PSM). The univariate analysis was applied for the baseline characteristics, operative details, postoperative prognosis and discharge disposition, and multiple logistic regression analysis for the independent risk factors of readmission. RESULTS: The unplanned readmission rate within 30 days of radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer was 6.5% (43/657). The average time interval from discharge to readmission was 13 days. Delayed gastric evacuation was the main cause of readmission (18.6%, 8/43). Body mass index (BMI), nutritional risk screening (NRS) 2002 score, history of abdominal surgery, sarcopenia, and preoperative albumin were included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. NRS 2002 (OR = 3.43, 95% CI: 1.10–10.72, P=0.034) and sarcopenia (OR = 4.25, 95% CI: 1.13–16.02, P=0.033) were found to be independently associated with unplanned readmission within 30 days of radical gastrectomy for cancer. Other factors such as age, sex, BMI, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, surgical method, operation and reconstruction type, TNM stage, surgical duration, previous abdominal surgery, and preoperative albumin and hemoglobin level were not associated with unplanned readmission after radical gastrectomy for cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenia and low nutritional status are independently associated with unplanned readmission within 30 days of radical gastrectomy for cancer.