Resource utilization among patients with sepsis syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the resource utilization associated with sepsis syndrome in academic medical centers.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study.


METHODS
Eight academic, tertiary-care centers.


METHODS
Stratified random sample of 1,028 adult admissions with sepsis syndrome and all 248,761 other adult admissions between January 1993 and April 1994. The main outcome measures were length of stay (LOS) in total and after onset of sepsis syndrome (post-onset LOS) and total hospital charges.


RESULTS
The mean LOS for patients with sepsis was 27.7 +/- 0.9 days (median, 20 days), with sepsis onset occurring after a mean of 8.1 +/- 0.4 days (median, 3 days). For all patients without sepsis, the LOS was 7.2 +/- 0.03 days (median, 4 days). In multiple linear regression models, the mean for patients with sepsis syndrome was 18.2 days, which was 11.0 days longer than the mean for all other patients (P < .0001), whereas the mean difference in total charges was $43,000 (both P < .0001). These differences were greater for patients with nosocomial as compared with community-acquired sepsis, although the groups were similar after adjusting for pre-onset LOS. Eight independent correlates of increased post-onset LOS and 12 correlates of total charges were identified.


CONCLUSIONS
These data quantify the resource utilization associated with sepsis syndrome, and demonstrate that resource utilization is high in this group. Additional investigation is required to determine how much of the excess post-onset LOS and charges are attributable to sepsis syndrome rather than the underlying medical conditions.
Bates
David W
DW
Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Yu
D Tony
DT
Black
Edgar
E
Sands
Kenneth E
KE
Schwartz
J Sanford
JS
Hibberd
Patricia L
PL
Graman
Paul S
PS
Lanken
Paul N
PN
Kahn
Katherine L
KL
Snydman
David R
DR
Parsonnet
Jeffrey
J
Moore
Richard
R
Platt
Richard
R
D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018746:Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*