Cost analysis of the very elderly admitted to intensive care units
Abstract Background Very elderly patients are often admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) despite poor outcomes and frequent preference to avoid unnecessary prolongation of life. We sought to determine the cost of ICU admission for the very elderly and the factors influencing this cost. Methods Th...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2017-05-01
|
| Series: | Critical Care |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13054-017-1689-y |
| _version_ | 1819209222632505344 |
|---|---|
| author | Nicolas Chin-Yee Gianni D’Egidio Kednapa Thavorn Daren Heyland Kwadwo Kyeremanteng |
| author_facet | Nicolas Chin-Yee Gianni D’Egidio Kednapa Thavorn Daren Heyland Kwadwo Kyeremanteng |
| author_sort | Nicolas Chin-Yee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Very elderly patients are often admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) despite poor outcomes and frequent preference to avoid unnecessary prolongation of life. We sought to determine the cost of ICU admission for the very elderly and the factors influencing this cost. Methods This prospective, observational cohort study included patients ≥80 years old admitted to 22 Canadian ICUs from 2009 to 2013. A subset of consenting individuals comprised a longitudinal cohort followed over 12 months. Costs were calculated from ICU length of stay and unit costs for ICU admission from a Canadian academic hospital. A generalized linear model was employed to identify cost-predictive variables. Results In total, 1671 patients were included; 610 were enrolled in the longitudinal cohort. The average age was 85 years; median ICU length of stay was 4 days. Mortality was 35% (585/1671) in hospital and 41% (253/610) at 12 months. The average cost of ICU admission per patient was $31,679 ± 65,867. Estimated ICU costs were $48,744 per survivor to discharge and $61,783 per survivor at 1 year. For both decedents and survivors, preference for comfort measures over life support was an independent predictor for lower cost (P < 0.01). Conclusions Considering the poor clinical outcomes, and that many ICU admissions may be undesired by very elderly patients, ICU costs in this population are substantial. Our finding that a preference for comfort care predicted a lower cost independent of mortality reinforces the importance of early goals of care discussions to avoid both undesired and potentially non-beneficial interventions, consequently reducing costs. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01293708 . Registered on 10 February 2011. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T05:51:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2466593dbbfc4e128d14f8556993184c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1364-8535 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T05:51:51Z |
| publishDate | 2017-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Critical Care |
| spelling | doaj.art-2466593dbbfc4e128d14f8556993184c2022-12-21T17:57:55ZengBMCCritical Care1364-85352017-05-012111710.1186/s13054-017-1689-yCost analysis of the very elderly admitted to intensive care unitsNicolas Chin-Yee0Gianni D’Egidio1Kednapa Thavorn2Daren Heyland3Kwadwo Kyeremanteng4Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa/The Ottawa HospitalDepartment of Medicine, University of Ottawa/The Ottawa HospitalOttawa Hospital Research Institute, The Ottawa HospitalClinical Evaluation Research Unit, Kingston General HospitalDepartment of Medicine, University of Ottawa/The Ottawa HospitalAbstract Background Very elderly patients are often admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) despite poor outcomes and frequent preference to avoid unnecessary prolongation of life. We sought to determine the cost of ICU admission for the very elderly and the factors influencing this cost. Methods This prospective, observational cohort study included patients ≥80 years old admitted to 22 Canadian ICUs from 2009 to 2013. A subset of consenting individuals comprised a longitudinal cohort followed over 12 months. Costs were calculated from ICU length of stay and unit costs for ICU admission from a Canadian academic hospital. A generalized linear model was employed to identify cost-predictive variables. Results In total, 1671 patients were included; 610 were enrolled in the longitudinal cohort. The average age was 85 years; median ICU length of stay was 4 days. Mortality was 35% (585/1671) in hospital and 41% (253/610) at 12 months. The average cost of ICU admission per patient was $31,679 ± 65,867. Estimated ICU costs were $48,744 per survivor to discharge and $61,783 per survivor at 1 year. For both decedents and survivors, preference for comfort measures over life support was an independent predictor for lower cost (P < 0.01). Conclusions Considering the poor clinical outcomes, and that many ICU admissions may be undesired by very elderly patients, ICU costs in this population are substantial. Our finding that a preference for comfort care predicted a lower cost independent of mortality reinforces the importance of early goals of care discussions to avoid both undesired and potentially non-beneficial interventions, consequently reducing costs. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01293708 . Registered on 10 February 2011.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13054-017-1689-yCritical illnessCost of careOctogenarianEnd-of-life careOutcome assessment |
| spellingShingle | Nicolas Chin-Yee Gianni D’Egidio Kednapa Thavorn Daren Heyland Kwadwo Kyeremanteng Cost analysis of the very elderly admitted to intensive care units Critical Care Critical illness Cost of care Octogenarian End-of-life care Outcome assessment |
| title | Cost analysis of the very elderly admitted to intensive care units |
| title_full | Cost analysis of the very elderly admitted to intensive care units |
| title_fullStr | Cost analysis of the very elderly admitted to intensive care units |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cost analysis of the very elderly admitted to intensive care units |
| title_short | Cost analysis of the very elderly admitted to intensive care units |
| title_sort | cost analysis of the very elderly admitted to intensive care units |
| topic | Critical illness Cost of care Octogenarian End-of-life care Outcome assessment |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13054-017-1689-y |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nicolaschinyee costanalysisoftheveryelderlyadmittedtointensivecareunits AT giannidegidio costanalysisoftheveryelderlyadmittedtointensivecareunits AT kednapathavorn costanalysisoftheveryelderlyadmittedtointensivecareunits AT darenheyland costanalysisoftheveryelderlyadmittedtointensivecareunits AT kwadwokyeremanteng costanalysisoftheveryelderlyadmittedtointensivecareunits |