Table 4.
Adjusted Excess Cost/Case Associated with Specific Complications
| Complication | N (%) | Excess cost/case |
Lower 95% CI |
Upper 95% CI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tracheostomy | 29 (0.2%) | $179,350 | $132,958 | $237,769 |
| Mechanical circulatory support | 263 (2.1%) | $68,964 | $53,020 | $87,475 |
| Respiratory | 953 (7.5%) | $67,149 | $53,720 | $82,386 |
| Renal failure | 138 (1.15) | $65,042 | $45,232 | $89,152 |
| Re-operation/re-intervention | 662 (5.2%) | $57,137 | $47,419 | $67,866 |
| Neurologic | 209 (1.6%) | $50,649 | $29,498 | $77,724 |
| Infectious | 511 (4.0%) | $49,968 | $41,464 | $59,298 |
| Cardiac arrest | 246 (1.9%) | $42,366 | $29,271 | $57,739 |
| Phrenic/recurrent laryngeal nerve injury | 241 (1.9%) | $37,271 | $23,370 | $53,958 |
| Pleural effusion/chylothorax | 959 (7.5%) | $30,356 | $24,132 | $37,132 |
Top 10 high cost complications listed
Certain individual complications were grouped for the purposes of analysis: respiratory complications (respiratory insufficiency requiring mechanical ventilator support >7 days and/or or re-intubation), renal failure (requiring temporary and/or permanent dialysis), reoperation/re-intervention (reoperation due to bleeding and/or unplanned cardiac re-operation or interventional cardiac catheterization), neurologic (transient or persistent neurologic deficit, seizure, or stroke), infectious (mediastinitis, wound infection, pneumonia, sepsis, or endocarditis).