Audit of patient readmissions to a tertiary cardiothoracic intensive care unit 1 year after the introduction of a postoperative critical care assessment team

Audit of patient readmissions to a tertiary cardiothoracic intensive care unit 1 year after the introduction of a postoperative critical care assessment team: has it made a difference?
L. Nasser, A. Ashworth, N. Singh and S. Stirling
Abstracts of the AAGBI WSM London, UK, 10-12 January 2018, Abstract 51
Anaesthesia; Jan 2018; vol. 73 ; p. 34 

• Audit of a new Critical Care Assessment Team which provided routine follow up of patient from a Cardiothoracic Critical Care Unit (CTCCU) at University Hospital of South Manchester.
• From February 2016 to February 2017 the mean number of patients reviewed per month was 129, with readmissions to CTCCU between 1 and 5 patients per month (mean 2.8). In the 6 months preceding the introduction of CCAT there were 23 readmissions, equating to a mean of 3.8 patient readmissions per month.
• "Anecdotally it is clear that the critical care systematic review of patients followed up on the ward has led to early recognition and management of postoperative complications. This is beneficial in preventing readmission, but also facilitates prompt readmission if required."