LACE+ Index as Predictor of 30-Day Readmission in Brain Tumor Population

Background: The LACE+ index (Length of stay, Acuity of admission, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, and Emergency department [ED] visits in the past 6 months) is a tool used to predict 30-day readmissions. We sought to examine this predictive tool in patients undergoing brain tumor surgery.

Methods: Admissions and readmissions for patients undergoing craniotomy for supratentorial neoplasm at a single multihospital academic medical center were analyzed. All brain tumor cases for which the patient was alive at 30 days after surgery were included (n = 352). Simple logistic regression analyses were used to assess the ability of the LACE+ index and subsequent single variables to accurately predict the outcome measures of 30-day readmission, reoperation, and ED visit. Analysis of the model's or variable's discrimination was determined by the receiver operating characteristic curve as represented by the C-statistic.

Results: The sample included admissions for craniotomy for supratentorial neoplasm (n = 352). Assessment of the LACE+ index demonstrates a 1.02× increased odds of 30-day readmission for every 1-unit increase in LACE+ score (P = 0.031, CI = 1.00-1.03). Despite this, analysis of the receiver operating characteristic curve indicates that LACE+ index has poor specificity in predicting 30-day readmission (C-statistic = 0.58). A 1-unit increase in LACE+ score also predicts a 0.98× reduction in odds of home discharge (P < 0.001, CI = 0.97-0.99, C-statistic = 0.70). But LACE+ index does not predict 30-day reoperation (P = 0.945) or 30-day ED visits (P = 0.218).

Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that the LACE+ index is not yet suitable as a prediction model for 30-day readmission in a brain tumor population.