Reducing the number of healthcare-associated infections in patients after cardiac surgery can have a large effect on costs, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Researchers monitored more than 4,300 patients for 65 days after cardiac surgery and collected data on incremental length of stay and cost associated with HAIs.
They found 2.8 percent of the patients experienced a major HAI during their hospitalization, the most common of which were pneumonia (48 percent), sepsis (20 percent), and Clostridium difficile colitis (18 percent).
Researchers found the average incremental cost associated with a major HAI was nearly $38,000, almost half (47 percent) of which was related to intensive care unit services. In total, there were 849 readmissions, and 8.7 percent of which were attributed to major HAIs. The cost of HAI-related readmissions was, on average, nearly three times higher than the cost of readmissions not related to HAIs.
The findings "suggest the potential for large reductions in costs if HAIs following cardiac surgery can be reduced," the study's authors concluded.
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