title: Cost comparison of mechanically ventilated patients across the age span.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the use of mechanical ventilation and hospital costs across ventilated patients of all ages, preterm through adults, in a nationally representative sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  Secondary analysis of the 2009 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality National Inpatient Sample.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1 107 563 (2.8%) patients received mechanical ventilation. For surviving ventilated patients, median costs for infants ⩽32 weeks' gestation were $51000 to $209 000, whereas median costs for older patients were lower from $17 000 to $25 000. For non-surviving ventilated patients, median costs were $27 000 to $39 000 except at the extremes of age; the median cost was $10 000 for <24 week newborns and $14 000 for 91+ year adults. Newborns of all gestational ages had a disproportionate share of hospital costs relative to their total volume.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most intensive care unit resources at the extremes of age are not directed toward non-surviving patients. From a perinatal perspective, attention should be directed toward improving outcomes and reducing costs for all infants, not just at the earliest gestational ages.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI, USA.
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Hayman
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Leuthner
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: N T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Laventhal
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Brousseau
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lagatta
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D017721:Hospital Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000191:economics*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000191:economics* / Q000401:mortality*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult