Discharge patterns of orthognathic surgeries in the United States.

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to provide a nationally representative estimate of the number and type of different orthognathic procedures performed in hospitalized patients in the United States.

METHODS: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample for 2008 was used. All hospitalizations for orthognathic surgeries were included. Procedures were identified using the procedure codes of the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification. Outcomes, including complications, hospitalization, charges, and length of stay, were examined. All estimates were projected to national levels, taking into consideration the complex sampling frame of the dataset and the discharge weight variable.

RESULTS: There were 10,345 hospitalizations for orthognathic surgery. The average age of the hospitalized patients was 26.7 years. Whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, and other races constituted 71.9%, 4.9%, 12.6%, 5.6%, 0.4%, and 4.6% of the hospitalizations, respectively. Private insurance plans were the primary payers for 77.3% of all procedures. Segmental osteoplasty of the maxilla was the procedure performed most often (45.8% of all hospitalizations), followed by open osteoplasty of the mandibular ramus (31.7%). Complications included iatrogenic-induced complications (1.5% of all hospitalizations), hemorrhagic complications (1.2%), and bacterial infections (0.6%). The mean charge per hospitalization was $47,348. The total hospitalization charge for the entire United States was close to $466.8 million. The mean length of stay was 2.95 days and the total duration of hospitalization in the entire United States was 30,580 days.

CONCLUSIONS: This study provides nationwide estimates of hospital discharge patterns and outcomes in patients undergoing orthognathic surgeries in United States hospitals. Future studies should examine factors associated with outcomes.