Healthcare costs and outcomes associated with surgical site infections after coronary artery bypass grafting surgeries in Oman

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection (SSI) after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgeries is considered a key indicator of the quality of healthcare services. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to estimate the healthcare outcomes associated with SSIs after CABG surgeries in Oman in terms of mortality rate, case-fatality rate, LOS, readmission rate and healthcare costs. METHODS: The nested case-control study design was used based on retrospective data, which was conducted from 2016 to 2017. The case group encompassed all CABG patients with confirmed SSIs within 30 days of the surgery (n = 104) while controls were CABG patients without SSIs (n = 404). RESULTS: Forty-four (42.3%) of the SSI patients were readmitted to the hospital compared to eight (2%) of the control group (p < .001). Patients in the case group had a longer LOS (M = 24.4, SD = 44.6 days) compared to those in the control group (M = 11, SD = 21 days, p = .003). The mean healthcare costs of cases (M = Omani Rial [OMR] 3823, SD = OMR 2516) were significantly greater than controls (M = OMR 3154, SD = OMR 1415, p = .010). CONCLUSION: Results from this study can be baseline data for formulating new hypotheses and testing the causal relationship between SSIs after CABG surgeries and the readmission rate, LOS and health care costs. KEY MESSAGES: Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) are still a major complication after cardiac surgeries in Oman. SSIs after cardiac surgeries are associated with substantially increased healthcare costs and length of stay. SSIs after cardiac surgeries are associated with negative outcomes such as mortality and case-fatality rates.