AUTHOR=Blüher Maximilian , Brandt Dominique , Lankiewicz Julie , Mallow Peter J. , Saunders Rhodri 

TITLE=Economic Analysis of the European Healthcare Burden of Sternal-Wound Infections Following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2020

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.557555

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2020.557555

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Background
Sternal wound infections (SWIs) can be some of the most complex surgical-site infections (SSIs) and pose a considerable risk following coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). 
Objective
To capture the cost burden of SWIs following CABG across European countries.
Methods
We modelled a standardized care pathway for CABG, starting at the point of surgery and extending to 1-year post surgery. The Markov model captures the incidence and cost of an SWI (deep or superficial SWIs). The cost burden is calculated from a hospital perspective such that the main inputs relating to costs were intensive-care-unit (ICU) and general-ward (GW) days. Outpatient care, not in the hospital setting, has no cost in this analysis. Model input parameters were taken from Eurostat and a review of published, peer-reviewed literature. European countries were included in this analysis when values for 50% of the required input parameters per country were identified. Missing data points were interpolated from available data. The robustness of results was assessed via probabilistic sensitivity analysis.
Results
Full required input data were available for 8 European countries; a further 18 countries had sufficient data for analysis. The median (interquartile range) for SWI incidence across the 26 countries was 3.9% (2.9–5.6%). The total burden for all 26 countries of SWIs after CABG was €170.8 million. These costs were made up of 25,751 additional ICU days, 137,588 additional GW days, and 7,704 readmissions. The mean cost of an SWI ranged from €8,924 in Poland to €21,321 in Denmark. Relative to the costs of post-CABG care without an SWI complication, the incremental cost of an SWI was highest in Greece (24.9% increase) and lowest in the UK (3.8% increase) with a median (interquartile range) of 12% (10–16%) across all 26 countries.
Conclusions
SWIs following CABG present a considerable burden to healthcare budgets.