OBJECTIVE

To examine incidence and associations for unplanned Acute Care Unit Readmissions (ACURs) in Asian primary brain tumour patients.

DESIGN

A retrospective single-centre cohort study.

PATIENTS

A total of 173 Asian primary brain tumour patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation in a tertiary rehabilitation centre.

METHODS

Primary outcome was unplanned ACUR. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine associations with patients who had an unplanned ACUR.

RESULTS

Altogether, the majority of patients had low-grade (World Health Organization Class I and II) tumours (76.9%), whilst 32 (18.5%) patients had glioblastoma multiforme tumours. Unplanned ACUR occurred in 27 (15.9%) patients, with the 2 most common causes being neurosurgical complications (37.0%) and non-neurosurgical infections (25.9%). Significant risk factors for ACUR patients were a longer acute hospitalization stay (odds ratio = 1.024; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01-1.04; = 0.007), whereas a higher admission motor Functional Independence Measure was protective against unplanned ACUR (odds ratio = 0.945; 95% CI = 0.915-0.977; = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite rehabilitation goals of prevention of complications, patients with primary brain tumours undergoing inpatient rehabilitation continue to demonstrate significant unplanned ACUR rates (15.9%) with neurosurgical complications being common. These findings underscore the importance of continued vigilance, access to and coordination of neurosurgical care and management beyond the acute surgical phase, in order to ensure optimal outcomes.