Comparative costs of hospitalisation among infants at high risk for respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory tract infection during the first year of life.
OBJECTIVE
This retrospective cohort study compared the total cost of hospitalisation due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract infection (LRI) during the first year of life between late-preterm (33-36 weeks gestational age [wGA]) and term (≥ 37 wGA) infants.


METHODS
A large national claims database of commercially insured members was examined to identify hospital admissions associated with RSV between January 2003 and June 2007 among infants at high risk for RSV LRI, including late-preterm infants. Hospital use and costs were compared with those of a reference cohort of term infants with RSV.


RESULTS
The cost of hospitalisation for RSV among late-preterm infants with at least one hospital admission associated with RSV (n=173) was twice that of term infants (n=1,983; $20,269 vs. 9,635; p< 0.001). The mean length of stay was also higher (5.3 vs. 3.4 days; p< 0.001). Approximately 21.9% of hospitalisations for late-preterm infants included an intensive care unit admission compared with 9.6% among term infants (p< 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Reliance on ICD-9 codes to identify potential cohort members may result in misclassification and underreporting the cohort size for conditions of interest.


CONCLUSIONS
Hospitalisation costs and length of stay due to RSV LRI were significantly greater among late-preterm infants compared with term infants and higher than general estimates previously reported in the broader paediatric population.
Akron Children's Hospital, Akron, OH, USA.
Michael L
ML
Forbes
Caroline B
CB
Hall
Anne
A
Jackson
Anthony S
AS
Masaquel
Parthiv J
PJ
Mahadevia
D000367:Age Factors; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007345:Insurance Claim Review; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics*; D012136:Respiratory Syncytial Viruses; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States