Costs of hospitalized ventilator-dependent children: differences between a ventilator ward and intensive care unit

Area of Science:

• Pediatric critical care medicine
• Healthcare economics

Background:

• Hospitalizing stable, ventilator-dependent children in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) incurs significant, often unnecessary, healthcare costs.
• This practice can also impede efficient patient flow within hospitals.
• Pediatric ventilator units offer an alternative care setting, but their cost-effectiveness compared to PICUs is not well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the hospitalization costs of ventilator-dependent children in a pediatric ventilator unit versus a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
• To evaluate the potential cost savings associated with utilizing pediatric ventilator units for stable, mechanically ventilated patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cost analysis comparing hospitalizations of 103 ventilator-dependent children who were admitted to both a PICU and a ventilator ward during the same hospital stay.
• Cost data were collected between 2004 and 2007, comparing the last full day in the PICU to the first full day in the ventilator ward.
• Matched control analysis was used, with patients serving as their own controls.

Main Results:

• The mean daily cost of hospitalization in the PICU was $3,565 (SD ± $716.50).
• The mean daily cost in the ventilator ward was $2,052 (SD ± $617).
• PICU costs were significantly higher than ventilator ward costs (P < 0.0001), indicating substantial cost differences.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric ventilator wards are a significantly less expensive care setting than PICUs for stable, ventilator-dependent children.
• Implementing dedicated ventilator units can represent a considerable cost-saving measure for healthcare institutions.
• These findings support the strategic use of specialized units to optimize resource allocation in pediatric critical care.