Current Pediatric Research

This study sought to determine the overall hospital cost estimates in neonates with hypoglycemia, compare hospital cost in premature and non-premature neonates, and identify predictors of increased hospital cost. The median (interquartile range) cost estimate in premature and non-premature neonates were $12,755 ($4,550-$30,339) and $2,360 ($1,153-$3,736), respectively. Increased cost was observed, when more than five procedures was performed during the same hospitalization (OR 10.13, 95% CI 8.67-11.83, p<0.0001), when hospital bed size medium (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.16-1.61, p=0.0002) or ≥ 400 (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.41-1.92, p<0.0001), when hospital length of stay exceeded 15 days (OR 44.97, 95% CI 41.49-48.73, p<0.0001), in teaching hospitals (OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.82-2.13, p<0.0001), in of the presence of chronic conditions (OR 2.46, 95% CI 2.27-2.66, p<0.0001), comorbidities (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.90-2.35, p<0.0001), prematurity (OR 2.39, 95% CI 2.20-2.60, p<0.0001), and death (OR 2.95, 95% CI 2.13-4.09, p<0.0001). Neonates with hypoglycemia consumed 11% of resources associated with hospital births while accounting for only 1.5% of hospitalization. This study identified factors associated with increased cost in neonatal hypoglycemia.

Author(s): Brook T Alemu1*, Hind A Beydoun2, Matthew Hoch3, Bonnie Van Lunen4, Muge Akpinar-Elci4

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