Objective: to verify the occurrence and the causes of hospital readmissions within a year
after discharge from hospitalizations due to traffic accidents. Methods: victims of multiple traumas due to traffic accidents were included, who were
admitted to an Intensive Care Unit. Sociodemographic data, accident circumstances,
body regions affected and cause of readmission were collected from the patient
histories. Results: among the 109 victims of traffic accidents, the majority were young and adult
men. Most hospitalizations due to accidents involved motorcycle drivers (56.9%).
The causes of the return to the hospital were: need to continue the surgical
treatment (63.2%), surgical site infection (26.3%) and fall related to the
physical sequelae of the trauma (10.5%). The rehospitalization rate corresponded
to 174/1,000 people/year. Conclusion: the hospital readmission rate in the study population is similar to the rates
found in other studies. Victims of severe limb traumas need multiple surgical
procedures, lengthier hospitalizations and extended rehabilitation.