Short-Bowel Syndrome: Epidemiology, Hospitalization Trends, In-Hospital Mortality, and Healthcare Utilization

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Internal Medicine
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Short-bowel syndrome (SBS) is a significant cause of chronic intestinal failure, leading to increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs.
• Understanding hospitalization trends and associated mortality is crucial for managing SBS burden.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in hospitalizations, in-hospital mortality, and healthcare costs for Short-bowel syndrome (SBS) in the US.
• To identify risk factors associated with in-hospital mortality in SBS patients.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the US Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 2005 to 2014.
• Identified adult SBS hospitalizations using ICD-9-CM codes.
• Analyzed demographics, hospitalization numbers, mortality rates, length of stay, and costs.

Main Results:

• A 55% increase in SBS hospitalizations was observed between 2005 and 2014.
• In-hospital mortality for SBS decreased by 27% during the study period.
• Higher mortality risks were associated with sepsis, liver dysfunction, severe malnutrition, and metastatic cancer.

Conclusions:

• Despite a decrease in mortality, the national burden of SBS hospitalizations is rising.
• Older SBS patients with specific comorbidities face the highest mortality risk.
• Healthcare utilization for SBS remains substantial.