Cost of neonatal intensive care for extremely preterm infants in Canada

BACKGROUND: Neonatal intensive care is expensive and prolonged. Extremely preterm infants are routinely supported. The costs for this practice at the age of borderline viability are of interest to clinicians and policymakers. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Canadian national administrative database on total cost and length of hospital care from a public payor perspective for 23–28-week premature infants from 2011 to 2015. We also compared total and daily costs for 23–25-week newborns. Each comparison evaluated the total cohort and infants who lived more than 3 days. We used non-parametric tests, correlation tests, and generalized linear models for cost difference analysis, adjusting for survival, length of stay, and year. RESULTS: We analyzed 6,932 infants’ cost records. For all infants, median length of hospital stay was 41 days (IQR, 1–77 days). For infants who survived the first 3 days, median length of stay was 61 days (IQR, 34–90 days). The median total cost was $66,669 (IQR, $4,920–$125,550). For infants who survived the first 3 days, median total cost was $91,137 (IQR, $56,596–$188,757). For infants who survived the first 3 days, median total costs were $147,835 (IQR, $44,711–$233,847) for 23-week infants, $154,736 (IQR, $61,160–$248,290) for 24-week infants, and $130,317 (IQR, $79,737–$229,058) for 25-week infants. These amounts did not differ (P>0.7). CONCLUSIONS: Total and daily costs of neonatal intensive care are high. Total cost was not different between surviving 23–25-week infants. These findings highlight the need for a funding strategy for the routine support of these fragile infants.