Skip to main content

Table 4 Costs of patients admitted to the intensive care unit with suspected infection

From: Emergency Department disposition decisions and associated mortality and costs in ICU patients with suspected infection

 

Direct to ICU (n = 338)

Ward (n = 246)

Home (n = 73)

P value

Overall costs, Can$

 

 Total direct costs, mean (SD)

20,196 (16,258)

81,068 (72,858)

54,206 (44,805)

< 0.001a,b,c

 Total indirect costs, mean (SD)

6552 (5475)

26,247 (20,136)

17,286 (10,455)

< 0.001a,b,c

 Total cost, mean (SD)

26,748 (24,706)

107,315 (92,887)

71,492 (65,149)

< 0.001a,b,c

 Cost/day, mean (SD)

3443 (2238)

3504 (2150)

4071 (2452)

0.04b

 Cost/survivor (95% CI)

37,986 (37,962–38,012)

187,230 (187,159–187,302)

186,390 (186,230–187,550)

< 0.001a,b

 Cost/survivor discharged home (95% CI)

48,347 (48,316–48,379)

318,067 (317,945–318,188)

401,454 (401,110–401,799)

< 0.001a,b,c

Cost allocation, Can$, mean (SD)

 

 Food services

1054 (956)

1939 (1490)

482 (382)

< 0.001a,b,c

 ICU

12,283 (10,030)

41,919 (38,276)

35,247 (33,928)

< 0.001a,b

 Laboratory tests

1464 (917)

5302 (4772)

3300 (3274)

< 0.001a,b

 Imaging

839 (665)

3066 (2636)

1853 (1614)

< 0.001a,b

 Pharmacy

1207 (843)

7229 (6468)

3938 (2927)

< 0.001a,b

 Health professional services (nonphysician)

1157 (954)

3852 (3308)

1958 (1425)

< 0.001a

 Nursing

5818 (4429)

26,801 (25,994)

12,677 (10,244)

< 0.001a,b,c

  1. ICU Intensive care unit, IQR Interquartile range
  2. Costs of ICU patients with suspected infection and index visit to ED within 72 hours of ICU admission, categorized by disposition destination, are shown. ICU costs refer to all costs not included in other subcategories, and include costs of mechanical ventilation, renal replacement therapy, and vasoactive medications. All values are in Canadian dollars. Analysis of variance was used to compare mean values between groups, and resultant P values are listed. Pairwise comparisons were performed using Student’s t test
  3. aStatistically significant difference (i.e., P < 0.05) between patients admitted directly to the ICU and those admitted to the ward
  4. bStatistically significant difference (i.e., P < 0.05) between patients admitted directly to the ICU and those initially sent home
  5. cStatistically significant difference (i.e., P < 0.05) between patients admitted to the ward and those initially sent home
Back to article page

Critical Care

ISSN: 1364-8535