Emergency Visits Common After Hysterectomy, Study Finds

Approximately one in 11 women who undergo hysterectomy for benign disease make potentially avoidable visits to the emergency department (ED) within 30 days of surgery for problems not requiring readmission, new data show. The study, published online July 11 in Obstetrics & Gynecology, found almost a third of ED visits were for such conditions as pain, constipation, nausea/vomiting, and vaginitis, many of which could have been managed in an ambulatory setting.

The findings highlight the need for expanded perioperative patient counseling and access to postoperative help lines, which may serve to reduce ED use and healthcare costs. “From a clinical perspective, a percentage of these visits could have been managed in an ambulatory setting or potentially avoided with improved perioperative management,” write Nichole Mahnert, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Banner University Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and colleagues.

Read more from Medscape, by Diana Swift, on Emergency Visits Common After Hysterectomy, Study Finds