Utilization of the emergency department by kidney transplant recipients: a retrospective cohort study from a high-volume transplant center

Belal Nedal Sabbah; Mohammad Alghafees; Ahmad Nedal Sabbah; Tarek Ziad Arabi; Saleha Abdul Rab; Abdulaziz Mohammed Alaklabi; Hytham Mubarak Abdalla; Ahmed Essam Maklad; Mazin Ibrahim El Sarrag; Emad Sameer Hawari; Omar Hussien Barbour; Ahmed Khedr; Faisal Alrasheed; Mohammed Alshalhoub; Abdulrahman Altamimi; Ghali Sayedahmed; Khalid Alshuwaier; Yasser Alkharashi; Abdulrahman Albassam; Salman Bin Ofisan

doi:10.1097/MS9.0000000000000481

Utilization of the emergency department by kidney transplant recipients: a retrospective cohort study from a high-volume transplant center

Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2023 Apr 11;85(5):1496-1501. doi: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000000481. eCollection 2023 May.

Authors

Belal Nedal Sabbah¹, Mohammad Alghafees², Ahmad Nedal Sabbah¹, Tarek Ziad Arabi¹, Saleha Abdul Rab¹, Abdulaziz Mohammed Alaklabi¹, Hytham Mubarak Abdalla¹, Ahmed Essam Maklad¹, Mazin Ibrahim El Sarrag¹, Emad Sameer Hawari¹, Omar Hussien Barbour¹, Ahmed Khedr¹, Faisal Alrasheed², Mohammed Alshalhoub³, Abdulrahman Altamimi⁴, Ghali Sayedahmed³, Khalid Alshuwaier², Yasser Alkharashi², Abdulrahman Albassam², Salman Bin Ofisan⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Medicine, Alfaisal University.
² College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences.
³ Emergency Medicine.
⁴ Department of Transplantation, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh.
⁵ College of Medicine, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University. Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

This study aims to assess the trends of emergency department (ED) visits among kidney transplant recipients in a high-volume transplant centre.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study targeted patients who underwent renal transplantation at a high-volume transplant centre from 2016 to 2020. The main outcomes of the study were ED visits within 30 days, 31-90 days, 91-180 days, and 181-365 days of transplantation.

Results: This study included 348 patients. The median (interquartile range) age of patients was 45.0 years (30.8, 58.2). Over half of the patients were male (57.2%). There was a total of 743 ED visits during the first year after discharge. 19% (n=66) were considered high-frequency users. High-volume ED users tended to be admitted more frequently as compared to those with low frequencies of ED visits (65.2% vs. 31.2%, respectively, P<0.001).

Conclusion: As evident by the large number of ED visits, suitable coordination of management through the ED remains a pivotal component of post-transplant care. Strategies addressing prevention of complications of surgical procedures or medical care and infection control are aspects with potential for enhancement.

Keywords: emergency department utilization; emergency medicine; post-transplant care; renal transplantation; saudi arabia.