Emergent care patterns in patients with spina bifida: a case-control study

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Neurosurgery
• Public Health

Background:

• Individuals with spina bifida (SB) require ongoing multidisciplinary outpatient care.
• Emergent care patterns for SB patients are not well-defined.
• This study addresses the gap in understanding emergent care for SB patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and compare patterns of emergent care utilization in patients with spina bifida versus healthy controls.
• To identify common diagnoses and procedures for emergent SB care.
• To analyze associated healthcare charges for emergent SB visits.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Nationwide Emergency Department Sample data from 2006-2010.
• Matched 226,709 SB patients with 888,774 controls by age, gender, and treatment year.
• Employed statistical analyses to compare emergency department visits, diagnoses, procedures, and charges.

Main Results:

• SB patients were more likely to have public insurance and hospital admission from the ED (37.0% vs 9.2%).
• Urinary tract infections (OR 8.7) and neurological issues (OR 2.0) were the most common emergent diagnoses for SB patients.
• Urological issues accounted for 34% of total ED charges, with higher mean charges per encounter for SB patients ($2,102 vs $1,650).

Conclusions:

• Emergent care for SB patients frequently involves urological or neurosurgical issues.
• SB patients are admitted more often from the ED and incur higher healthcare charges compared to controls.
• Findings underscore the need for tailored emergent care strategies for spina bifida.