Cost of Pediatric Severe Sepsis Hospitalizations

Abstract

In 2005, the most recent year for which nationwide estimates are available, the total costs of pediatric severe sepsis hospitalizations were estimated at $4.8 billion ($5.8 billion in 2016 dollars). 1 Since then, there has been increasing attention to severe sepsis, revision of sepsis treatment guidelines, and a growing prevalence of children with medical complexity who account for the large portion of health care expenditure, hospitalization stays, and readmissions. 2,3 Thus, we sought to measure the current costs of pediatric severe sepsis and understand the association of complex chronic conditions with sepsis hospitalization costs.