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Cost of morbidities in very low birth weight infants

Tricia J Johnson1, Aloka L Patel, Briana J Jegier

  • 1Department of Health Systems Management, Rush University, Chicago, IL 60661, USA. tricia_j_johnson@rush.edu

The Journal of Pediatrics
|August 23, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Direct costs for neonatal intensive care unit hospitalizations are significantly increased by brain injury, necrotizing enterocolitis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and late-onset sepsis in very low birth weight infants.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Health Economics
  • Pediatric Intensive Care

Background:

  • Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalizations for very low birth weight (VLBW) infants are associated with substantial costs.
  • Potentially preventable morbidities can significantly impact healthcare expenditures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the association between direct costs of initial NICU hospitalization and four specific morbidities in VLBW infants.
  • To quantify the incremental direct costs attributable to brain injury, necrotizing enterocolitis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and late-onset sepsis.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort study of 425 VLBW infants (<1500 g) admitted between July 2005 and June 2009.
  • Data on clinical morbidities and economic costs were extracted from institutional databases.
  • General linear regression analysis was used to calculate incremental direct costs for each morbidity, controlling for covariates.

Main Results:

  • Brain injury was associated with an additional $12,048 in direct costs (P = .005).
  • Necrotizing enterocolitis added $15,440 (P = .005), bronchopulmonary dysplasia added $31,565 (P < .001), and late-onset sepsis added $10,055 (P < .001).
  • A higher number of morbidities correlated with significantly increased hospitalization costs.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides estimates of direct costs associated with four major morbidities in VLBW infants during NICU stays.
  • These morbidities incur substantial incremental costs, highlighting the economic burden.
  • Findings can inform the development and evaluation of interventions aimed at preventing these costly conditions.
Abstract

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