Chiou LJ, Chen HM, Pan LF, et al. - In cancer patients, weekend discharge following major surgery did not impact 30-day readmission rates, but an impact of the holiday ratio (holiday days/total hospitalization days) on 30-day potentially avoidable readmission rate (PAR) was evident for colon cancer patients.

• In this retrospective cohort study, a total of 1,433 patients undergoing tumor resection were analyzed: 520 (36.29%) had colon cancer; 440 (30.70%) had head and neck cancer (HNC), and 473 (33.01%) had other cancers (lung, liver, and prostate), to assess the link of 30-day readmission with weekend discharge and the number of holiday days during a hospital stay (holiday ratio).

• For patients with colon cancer, HNC, and other cancers, the rate of 30-day PAR was estimated to be 6.3%, 8.6%, and 3.6%, respectively.

• No significant difference in 30-day PAR was observed based on discharge on a weekend vs weekday for those with colon cancer (8.33% vs 5.90%), HNC (7.06% vs 9.01%), or other cancers (0.00% vs 4.28%).

• A higher readmission rate was reported in colon cancer patients with holiday ratio >0.3 (9.58% vs 4.82%).

• Multivariate analysis showed that in colon cancer patients, 30-day PAR was independently predicted by a holiday ratio >0.3 (adjusted odds ratio 2.16).