Hospital Cost of Staphylococcal Infection after Cardiothoracic or Orthopedic Operations in France: A Retrospective Database Analysis

Background: Staphylococcal infections (SI) after cardiothoracic (CT) or orthopedic (OP) surgery are associated with extended length of stay (LOS), a considerable mortality rate, and high cost. No data on these consequences have been published in France. Therefore, a study was conducted to describe the epidemiologic, clinical, and economic outcomes of SI following these operations in France based on a hospital discharge database. Methods: Patients who underwent the most common types of CT or OP operations in 2009 were identified and followed for one year. Staphylococcal infections occurring in the three following months were identified. Results: In 2009, 21,543 patients underwent one of the selected CT procedures (62% coronary artery bypass grafting; 38% cardiac valve replacement) and 175,518 patients underwent one of the selected OP procedures (64% hip arthroplasty; 36% knee arthroplasty). Among the patients, 4.4% (n=955) and 0.9% (n=1,515) developed SI after CT and OP surgery, respectively. Staphylococcal infection led to approximately 1.0 and 1.4 additional hospitalizations per patient, 22.1 and 24.1 additional hospital days, and an excess cost of €15,475 and €13,389 after an CT or OP procedure, respectively. The in-hospital mortality rate was 2.6 times and 6 times greater in infected patients than in non-infected patients for CT and OP. Hospital cost reached €505 million for these two CT procedures and €1.9 billion for the two OP procedures, of which €15 million and €20 million were related directly to patients having developed SI. Conclusions: Staphylococcal infections after common CT or OP operations were associated with greater mortality rates and hospital costs secondary to the additional procedures and greater LOS.