Cost of influenza hospitalization at a tertiary care children's hospital and its impact on the cost-benefit analysis of the recommendation for universal influenza immunization in children age 6 to 23 months.
OBJECTIVE
To calculate the costs of influenza hospitalization at a tertiary care children's hospital as the basis of a cost-benefit analysis of the new influenza vaccine recommendation for children age 6 to 23 months.


METHODS
We reviewed the medical records of all patients admitted to Children's Memorial Hospital (CMH) in 2002 diagnosed with influenza. Total hospital costs were obtained from the Business Development Office.


RESULTS
Thirty-five charts were analyzed. Both of the 2 patients requiring mechanical ventilation and 4 of 6 patients admitted to the intensive care unit had high-risk underlying medical conditions. Nine children were age 6 to 23 months; 4 of these 9 had no preexisting medical conditions. Had all 18 high-risk children over age 6 months been protected from influenza, approximately $350,000 in hospital charges could have been saved.


CONCLUSIONS
Preventing the additional 4 hospitalizations in the otherwise low-risk children age 6 to 23 months for whom vaccine is currently recommended would have cost approximately $281,000 ($46/child) more than the hospital charges saved. When all children age 6 to 23 months are considered, influenza vaccination is less costly than other prophylactic measures. Addition of indirect costs, deaths, outpatient costs, and the cost of secondary cases would favor the cost:benefit ratio for influenza vaccination of all children age 6 to 23 months.
Hall
Jennifer L
JL
Children's Memorial Hospital, Division of Infectious Diseases and Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60614, USA.
Katz
Ben Z
BZ
D002641:Chicago; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D017722:Hospital Charges / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics*; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007223:Infant; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000191:economics* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D007252:Influenza Vaccines