Financial impact of nosocomial infections in the intensive care units of a charitable hospital in Minas Gerais, Brazil

OBJECTIVE: Infections in intensive care units are often associated with a high morbidity and mortality in addition to high costs. An analysis of these aspects can assist in optimizing the allocation of relevant financial resources. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed the hospital administration and quality in intensive care medical databases [Sistema de Gestão Hospitalar (SGH)] and RM Janus(®). A cost analysis was performed by evaluating the medical products and materials used in direct medical care. The costs are reported in the Brazilian national currency (Real). The cost and length of stay analyses were performed for all the costs studied. The median was used to determine the costs involved. Costs were also adjusted by the patients' length of stay in the intensive care unit. RESULTS: In total, 974 individuals were analyzed, of which 51% were male, and the mean age was 57±18.24 years. There were 87 patients (8.9%) identified who had nosocomial infections associated with the intensive care unit. The median cost per admission and the length of stay for all the patients sampled were R$1.257,53 and 3 days, respectively. Compared to the patients without an infection, the patients with an infection had longer hospital stays (15 [11-25] versus 3 [2-6] days, p<0.01), increased costs per patient in the intensive care unit (median R$9.763,78 [5445.64 - 18,007.90] versus R$1.093,94 [416.14 - 2755.90], p<0.01) and increased costs per day of hospitalization in the intensive care unit (R$618,00 [407.81 - 838.69] versus R$359,00 [174.59 - 719.12], p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Nosocomial infections associated with the intensive care unit were determinants of increased costs and longer hospital stays. However, the study design did not allow us to evaluate specific aspects of cause and effect.