Abstract
BACKGROUND: Variability in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) readmission rates highlights the importance of assessing post-discharge outcomes. Understanding how teaching hospital status and causes of readmission influence mortality could optimise post-TAVR care. METHODS: Using the National Readmissions Database, we identified 155,298 TAVR admissions from 2012 to 2020. We evaluated the interaction effect between teaching status and cause of readmission on readmission-related mortality through adjusted mixed-effects models. RESULTS: Overall, 18.9% of patients (n = 29,479) had a nonelective readmission within 90 days, with no significant difference between teaching and nonteaching hospitals (19.3% vs 18.9%; P > 0.05). Cardiac-related readmissions accounted for 42.7% of cases, while noncardiac readmissions made up 57.3%, with no differences observed in their distribution between teaching and nonteaching hospitals. The unadjusted 90-day readmission mortality rate was 3.8%, without significant differences between teaching and nonteaching hospitals (3.8% vs 4.1%; P = 0.38). A downward trend in nonelective readmission and readmission-related mortality rates was observed, regardless of teaching status. An interaction effect between teaching status and the cause of readmission was identified: Noncardiac readmissions to teaching hospitals were associated with increased odds of death (odds ratio [OR] 1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.59-2.07; P < 0.001) compared with nonteaching hospitals, whereas cardiac readmissions to teaching hospitals were associated with decreased odds of in-hospital mortality (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.48-0.62; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate a differential association between teaching hospital status and 90-day readmission mortality, contingent on the cause of readmission. Further research, including the use of metrics such as failure to rescue, is needed to better understand the relationship between patient-level variables and teaching hospital status.