Table 2. Characteristics of Patients Who Underwent Autologous Free Flap Breast Reconstruction by Hospital Volume From 2008 to 2010 in the United Statesa.
| Variable | Low, ≤10 Cases | Medium, 11-30 Cases | High, ≥31 Cases | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of patients | 1174 | 1099 | 1029 | NA |
| Dependent Variable | ||||
| Cost of hospital stay, median (IQR), $US | 18 918 (12 856-29 186) | 24 205 (17 163-35 501) | 24 360 (15 167-34 619) | <.001b |
| Explanatory Variables | ||||
| Age at time of breast reconstruction, median (IQR), y | 51 (45-57) | 51 (44-57) | 49 (43-56) | .005b |
| Length of stay, median (IQR), d | 4 (3-5) | 4 (4-5) | 4 (4-5) | <.001 |
| Insurance type, No. (%) | ||||
| Medicare | 117 (10.0) | 70 (6.4) | 58 (5.6) | <.001b |
| Medicaid | 121 (10.3) | 75 (6.8) | 22 (2.1) | |
| Private | 869 (74.0) | 900 (81.9) | 943 (91.6) | |
| Other | 65 (5.5) | 45 (4.1) | 6 (0.6) | |
| Median household income national quartile, No. (%) | ||||
| First | 201 (17.1) | 108 (9.8) | 144 (14.0) | <.001b |
| Second | 216 (18.4) | 196 (17.8) | 160 (15.5) | |
| Third | 326 (27.8) | 280 (25.5) | 238 (23.1) | |
| Fourth | 381 (32.5) | 491 (44.7) | 474 (46.1) | |
| Race/ethnicity, No. (%) | ||||
| White | 741 (63.1) | 695 (63.2) | 593 (57.6) | <.001b |
| Black | 141 (12.0) | 84 (7.6) | 57 (5.5) | |
| Hispanic | 102 (8.7) | 67 (6.1) | 142 (13.8) | |
| Other minorities | 70 (6.0) | 59 (5.4) | 81 (7.9) | |
| Unspecified | 120 (10.2) | 194 (17.7) | 156 (15.2) | |
| Hospital location, No. (%) | ||||
| Northeast | 284 (24.2) | 202 (18.4) | 131 (12.7) | <.001b |
| Midwest | 213 (18.1) | 333 (30.3) | 220 (21.4) | |
| South | 480 (40.9) | 275 (25.0) | 366 (35.6) | |
| West | 197 (16.8) | 289 (26.3) | 312 (30.3) | |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index, No. (%) | ||||
| 0 | 539 (45.9) | 543 (49.4) | 547 (53.2) | .02b |
| 1 | 91 (7.8) | 75 (6.8) | 61 (5.9) | |
| ≥2 | 544 (46.3) | 481 (43.8) | 421 (40.9) | |
| Teaching hospital, No. (%) | ||||
| Yes | 697 (59.4) | 916 (83.3) | 963 (93.6) | <.001b |
| No | 430 (36.6) | 183 (16.7) | 66 (6.4) | |
| Hospital type, No. (%) | ||||
| Government | 906 (77.2) | 999 (90.9) | 963 (93.6) | <.001b |
| Private | 268 (22.8) | 100 (9.1) | 66 (6.4) | |
| Hospital bed size, No. (%) | ||||
| Small | 131 (11.2) | 115 (10.5) | 129 (12.5) | <.001b |
| Medium | 243 (20.7) | 198 (18.0) | 0 | |
| Large | 753 (64.1) | 786 (71.5) | 900 (87.5) | |
| Surgical complications, No. (%) | ||||
| Yes | 278 (23.7) | 303 (27.6) | 169 (16.4) | <.001b |
| No | 896 (76.3) | 796 (72.4) | 860 (83.6) | |
| Systemic complications, No. (%) | ||||
| Yes | 366 (31.2) | 338 (30.8) | 249 (24.2) | <.001b |
| No | 808 (68.8) | 761 (69.2) | 780 (75.8) | |
Abbreviations: IQR, interquartile range; NA, not applicable.
a
From the 2008 to 2012 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample database. Some numbers do not sum to heading totals because of missing values.
b
Statistically significant at 95% level.