Unplanned 30-Day readmission rates after spine surgery in a community-based Hospital setting

•The overall rate of 30-day unplanned readmissions at a community-based hospital was 7.3 % after spinal surgeries.•Wound-related complications were the most common procedure-related complications diagnosed at remittance.•Drug sedation or overdose was the most common non-surgical complication. Unplanned readmissions after spinal surgery adversely affect not only healthcare costs but also the quality of delivered care. The primary objective of this study was to identify the rates and predicting factors of unplanned 30-day readmissions at a community-based hospital. This study is a retrospective review of a single-center community-based hospital administrative and clinical records identifying unplanned readmissions. Risk factors for readmissions due to surgical site infections, pain, medical vs. procedure-related complications, and the number of readmissions were studied using multiple logistic regression analysis. A total overall readmission rate was 7.3 % (79 readmissions for 1077 patients). The readmission rates for thoracolumbar and cervical surgeries were 5.5 % and 1.8 %, respectively. The mean duration to primary readmission was 11.4 + 8.5 days. The most common procedure-related complication diagnosed at readmittance was wound-related complications (26 readmissions, 32.9 %). The most common non-surgical complication was a drug reaction or overdose (10.1 %). Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that longer hospitalization was a highly significant predictor of wound-related complications, followed by discharge to home or home care, and lower ASA scores (all