Mortality and Graft Loss Attributable to Readmission following Kidney Transplantation: Immediate and Long-Term Risk.

Background: Following kidney transplantation, early readmission is independently associated with graft loss and mortality. The mechanism of this association is poorly understood. Understanding the timeline of risk, ie, during the readmission hospitalization versus time periods postreadmission, will provide additional insights. Methods: We used national registry data to study 56,076 adult Medicare-primary first-time kidney transplant recipients from December 1999-October 2011. Piecewise Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the association between graft loss, mortality, and readmission for two time periods: readmission hospitalization and postreadmission. Results: During the readmission hospitalization, graft loss was substantially higher (deceased donor (DDKT) without delayed graft function (DGF) hazard ratio: 24.634.447.9, p

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