Sepsis and pneumonia caused by healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) resulted in 48,000 deaths and more than $8 billion in treatment costs in the United States in 2006, according to a large national study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Researchers looking at 69 million hospital discharge records in 40 states between 1998 and 2006 found that patients who developed sepsis from HAIs after undergoing invasive surgery stayed an average 11 extra days in the hospital at an average cost of $32,900 per patient; 19.5% died from the condition. Among patients who acquired pneumonia from post-operative infection, the rate of death was 11.4%, with patients staying an average 14 days extra in the hospital at an individual cost of $46,400.
While they acknowledge that HAIs are often caused by difficult-to-treat "superbugs" like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the study's authors note that the staggering human and financial costs from HAIs are largely preventable.
"In some cases, relatively healthy people check into the hospital for routine surgery. They develop sepsis because of a lapse in infection control — and they can die," says study co-author Anup Malani, PhD, JD, a professor at the University of Chicago and a researcher for the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Resources for the Future. "Improving infection control is a clear way to both improve patient outcomes and lower health care costs."
Irene Tsikitas
