The rising cost of infective endocarditis in West Virginia

The financial burden of hospitalization from life-threatening infectious diseases on the U.S. healthcare system is substantial and continues to increase. The purpose of this study was to identify key predictors of high hospital charges for infective endocarditis at a major university-affiliated cardiac care centre in West Virginia.A retrospective electronic medical records' review was undertaken of all adult patients admitted for endocarditis between 2014-2018. Multiple linear regression analysis assessed the total charges billed to the patient account for their endocarditis hospitalization in the medical record.Hospital charges have increased 12-fold during 2014-2018. Among the 486 patients, the median hospital charge was $198 678. About 47% of the patients underwent surgery incurring 70% of the total charges. Patients with hospital stays of ≥50 days accounted for a third of all charges. The multiple linear regression model accounted for 85% of the linear variance in the hospital charges. Median charges increased by 30.87% for patients with ≥9 consultations, 60.32% for those who died in the hospital, and 81.85% for those who underwent surgical intervention.The study findings showed that complex care requiring multiple consultations, surgical interventions, and longer hospital stays were significantly associated with higher hospital charges for endocarditis treatment.