Cost Analysis of Deep Sternal Wound Infections in European Countries

Study Reveals Large Burden For Healthcare System

Sternal wound infections can be some of the most complex surgical-site infections and pose a considerable risk following coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG).

The study shows the cost implications and risks in European countries.

The study was designed by Coreva Scientific in Germany, Xavier University and Cardinal Health, in the USA, authored by M Blueher et Al.

The authors modeled a standardized care pathway for CABG, starting at the point of surgery and extending to 1-year post surgery.

The cost burden is calculated from a hospital perspective such that the main inputs relating to costs were intensive-care-unit (ICU) and general-ward (GW) days.

Outpatient care, not in the hospital setting, has not been captured as cost in this analysis.

Model input parameters were taken from Eurostat and a review of published, peer-reviewed literature.

European countries were included in this analysis when values for 50% of the required input parameters per country were identified.

Full required input data were available for 8 European countries; a further 18 countries had sufficient data for analysis.

The SWI - Sternal Wound Infections incidence range across the 26 countries was from 2.9 to 5.6%.

The total burden for all 26 countries of SWIs after CABG was €170.8 million.

These costs were made up of 25,751 additional ICU (Intensive Care Unit) days, 137,588 additional GW (General Ward) days, and 7,704 readmissions.

The mean cost of a SWI ranged from €8,924 in Poland to €21,321 in Denmark.

The median increase of Care with Sternal Wound Infection was 12% (10–16%) across all 26 countries.

(Note by the author: If using the actual "averages" and not the "mean" or "median", the cost would be much higher. A statistical "mean" excludes the extremes. Hence a patient with a two months or more prolonged hospital stay would be excluded from cost. .. hence the "average" cost is probably double.)

Link to the Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33194958/

For further information how to reduce SWI Sternal Wound Infections visit out "solution" section of this website.

For any questions please email: info@posthorax.com