title: US Hospitalizations for Malignant Pleural Effusions: Data From the 2012 National Inpatient Sample.
abstract: Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a common complication of advanced malignancy, but little is known regarding its prevalence and overall burden on a population level.
  
  
  
  We conducted a retrospective analysis of MPE-associated hospitalizations using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project-Nationwide Inpatient Sample, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HCUP-NIS 2012). Cases were included if MPE was coded as a primary or secondary diagnosis or if an unspecified pleural effusion was coded in addition to a diagnosis of cancer with either of these being the primary diagnosis.
  
  
  
  A weighted sample of 126,825 admissions (0.35%) for MPE was identified among the 36,484,846 weighted admissions included in the database in 2012. Of these admissions, 70,750 (55.8%) were for female patients. The median age at admission was 68.0 years (interquartile range [IQR]), 58.4-77.2 years). Lung (37.8%), breast (15.2%), hematologic (11.2%), GI tract (11.0%), and gynecologic (9.0%) cancers were the most common primary malignancies associated with MPE. The median length of stay was 5.5 days (IQR, 2.7-10.1 days), and the inpatient mortality rate was 11.6%. Median hospitalization total charges were $42,376 (IQR, $21,618-$84,679). In the multivariate analyses, female sex, large fringe county residential area, Medicare insurance, and elective type of admission were independently associated with a lower risk of inpatient mortality.
  
  
  
  There is a considerable inpatient burden and high inpatient mortality associated with MPE in the United States, with potential demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic disparities.
authors.affiliation: Division of Respiratory Medicine, University of Calgary and Alberta Thoracic Oncology Program, Calgary, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Niloofar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Taghizadeh
authors.affiliation: Division of Respiratory Medicine, University of Calgary and Alberta Thoracic Oncology Program, Calgary, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fortin
authors.affiliation: Division of Respiratory Medicine, University of Calgary and Alberta Thoracic Oncology Program, Calgary, AB, Canada. Electronic address: alain.tremblay@ucalgary.ca.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tremblay
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D017722:Hospital Charges; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016066:Pleural Effusion, Malignant / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: admissions; cancer; insurance; length of stay; total charges