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.