[Cost and characterization of hospital infection among the elderly].

The increase in the number of elderly individuals has a direct impact on the health system with hospitalization complications such as hospital infection (HI). The objective of this study is to characterize and evaluate the cost of HI among the elderly in a public hospital for the elderly. Descriptive, cross-sectional research was conducted. Elderly individuals with HI in 2010 comprised the population of the study. The data were drawn from hospital records and analysis was performed using Excel 2003 and SPSS software. The results indicated that 341 seniors participated in the study with a HI index 3% higher than the monthly average. The most frequent infectious sites were: respiratory tract infection (58.1%), urinary tract infection (28.6%) and surgical infection (4.6%). Each hospitalization cost R$ 28,714.10 on average and 5% of this amount was for antibiotics. The increase of 15 days average added R$ 17,946.3 to costs of hospitalization. The conclusion drawn is that the elderly have increased vulnerability to HI. The infections extend the hospitalization period and increase costs varying according to the nature of the infection.