Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Nov;103(3):293-302.
doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2019.07.010. Epub 2019 Jul 19.

Burden of surgical site infections in the Netherlands: cost analyses and disability-adjusted life years

M B G Koek  1 , T I I van der Kooi  2 , F C A Stigter  3 , P T de Boer  2 , B de Gier  2 , T E M Hopmans  2 , S C de Greeff  2 ; Burden of SSI Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Burden of surgical site infections in the Netherlands: cost analyses and disability-adjusted life years

M B G Koek et al. J Hosp Infect. 2019 Nov.

Abstract

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are associated with morbidity, mortality and costs.

Aim: To identify the burden of (deep) SSIs in costs and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) following colectomy, mastectomy and total hip arthroplasty (THA) in the Netherlands.

Methods: A retrospective cost-analysis was performed using 2011 data from the national SSI surveillance network PREZIES. Sixty-two patients with an SSI (exposed) were matched to 122 patients without an SSI (unexposed, same type of surgery). Patient records were studied until 1 year after SSI diagnosis. Unexposed patients were followed for the same duration. Costs were calculated from the hospital perspective (2016 price level), and cost differences were tested using linear regression analyses. Disease burden was estimated using the Burden of Communicable Disease in Europe Toolkit of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The SSI model was specified by type of surgery, with country- and surgery-specific parameters where possible.

Findings: Attributable costs per SSI were €21,569 (THA), €14,084 (colectomy) and €1881 (mastectomy), mainly caused by prolonged length of hospital stay. National hospital costs were estimated at €10 million, €29 million and €0.6 million, respectively. National disease burden was greatest for SSIs following colectomy (3200 DALYs/year, 150 DALYs/100 SSIs), while individual disease burden was highest following THA (1200 DALYs/year, 250 DALYs/100 SSIs). For mastectomy, these DALYs were <1. The total cost of DALYs for the three types of surgery exceeded €88 million.

Conclusion: Depending on the type of surgery, SSIs cause a significant burden, both economically and in loss of years in full health. This underlines the importance of appropriate infection prevention and control measures.

Keywords: Burden; Costs; Disability-adjusted life years; Disease burden; Economic burden; Infection prevention; Prevention; Surgical site infection; Surveillance.

PubMed Disclaimer

LinkOut - more resources