Hospital charges and length of stay associated with septicemia among children hospitalized for leukemia treatment in the United States.

BACKGROUND: This study examines hospital charges and length of stay (LOS) associated with septicemia during hospitalization for leukemia treatment among children aged ≤18 years.

METHODS: Nationwide Inpatient Sample (year 2008) was used. All hospitalizations (regardless of their discharge status following hospitalization) among children aged ≤18 years with a primary diagnosis of leukemia were selected. Leukemia was identified using ICD-9-CM codes in the primary diagnosis field. The presence of septicemia during hospitalization was identified using ICD-9-CM codes in the secondary diagnosis field. Multivariable linear regression analyses were made to examine the effect of septicemia on hospitalization charges and LOS.

RESULTS: Totally 6220 hospitalizations were attributed to leukemia treatment. Among these, 787 had septicemia. The mean hospitalization charge for those with septicemia was $279,137 and for those without septicemia was $113,530. The average LOS for those with septicemia was 33.18 days while the LOS for those without septicemia was 13.79 days. Septicemia was associated with increased hospitalization charges and a prolonged duration of stay in hospital after adjustments for confounders (P<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS: Septicemia is associated with adverse outcomes among children hospitalized for leukemia treatment.