CDC: Thousands of COVID-19 patients returned to hospital within two months of initial release



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Of those 126,137 patients, according to the report, 15% died during the initial hospitalization. And of the 106,543 surviving patients, 9,504 were readmitted to the same hospital within two months “from discharge to August 2020,” the report says, which notes that 1.6% were readmitted more than one. times.

“Readmissions occurred more often among patients referred to a skilled nursing (SNF) facility (15%) or those requiring home care (12%) than among patients discharged home or by car. support (7%), ”the report states.

Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have long been identified as an epicenter of the pandemic.

And the chances of returning to hospital have increased, according to the report, among people aged 65 and older and patients with certain chronic conditions, among other factors.

“These findings support recent analyzes which found that chronic disease was significantly associated with hospital readmission,” the report said, while noting that understanding “the frequency and risk factors for readmission may shed light on clinical practice, discharge decisions and public health. priorities such as health care planning to ensure the availability of the necessary resources for acute and follow-up care of patients with COVID-19. “

The report said that “addressing priorities such as health care planning to ensure adequate health care resources for acute and post-acute follow-up care of COVID-19 patients is essential at local, regional level and national.

With the recent surge in cases across the country, according to the document, “hospital planning may explain these growing numbers as well as the potential for at least 9% of patients to be readmitted, requiring additional beds and resources. .

The report said continued public health messages and interventions to prevent COVID-19 “in the elderly and those with underlying health conditions is essential.”

The CDC says elsewhere on its website that researchers are working to learn more about the short and long-term effects of COVID-19, which has killed more than 236,000 Americans.

“One of the health effects that the CDC is closely monitoring and working to understand is about COVID-19 and the heart,” the site says. “Heart disease associated with COVID-19 includes inflammation and damage to the heart muscle itself, known as myocarditis, or the inflammation of the lining of the heart, known as pericarditis.”

And while older residents are particularly vulnerable, younger Americans can also have complications.

“For example, young adults with COVID-19, including athletes, can also suffer from myocarditis,” the CDC says. “Serious heart damage has occurred in young and healthy people, but it is rare. There may be more cases of mild effects of COVID-19 on the heart that can be diagnosed with special imaging tests, including in younger people with mild or minimal symptoms; however, the long-term significance of these mild effects on the heart is unknown. “


Travis Andersen can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter @TAGlobe.



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