Cost comparison of mechanically ventilated patients across the age span

OBJECTIVE: to compare use of mechanical ventilation and hospital costs across ventilated patients of all ages, preterm through adults, in a nationally-representative sample. STUDY DESIGN: secondary analysis of the 2009 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality National Inpatient Sample. RESULTS: 1,107,563 (2.8%) patients received mechanical ventilation. For surviving ventilated patients, median costs for infants ≤32 weeks’ gestation were $51,000–$209,000, whereas median costs for older patients were lower, from $17,000–$25,000. For non-surviving ventilated patients, median costs were $27,000–$39,000 except at the extremes of age; the median cost was $10,000 for <24 week newborns, and $14,000 for 91+ year adults. Newborns of all gestational ages had a disproportionate share of hospital costs relative to their total volume. CONCLUSIONS: Most ICU resources at the extremes of age are not directed toward non-surviving patients. From a perinatal perspective, attention should be directed toward improving outcomes and reducing costs for all infants, not just at the earliest gestational ages.