• Evan G Wong, Ann M Parker, Doris G Leung, Emily P Brigham, and Alicia I Arbaje.
• Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address: evan.wong@mail.mcgill.ca.
• Heart Lung. 2016 Jan 1; 45 (1): 3-9.e2.

ObjectivesTo determine whether ICU readmission is associated with higher severity of illness scores in adult patients.BackgroundReadmissions to the intensive care unit (ICU) are associated with increased costs, morbidity, and mortality.MethodsWe performed searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and grey literature databases. We selected studies reporting data from adults who were hospitalized in an ICU, received severity of illness scores, and were discharged from the ICU. Characteristics of readmitted and non-readmitted patients were examined.ResultsWe screened 4766 publications and included 31 studies in our analysis. In most studies, severity of illness scores were higher in patients readmitted to the ICU. Readmission was also associated with higher mortality and longer ICU and hospital stays. Excessive heterogeneity precluded the reporting of results in the form of a meta-analysis.ConclusionsICU readmission is associated with higher severity of illness scores during the same hospitalization in adult patients.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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