User login
BALTIMORE — Acetaminophen use may contribute to prolonged hospital stay and increased cost during asthma exacerbations in children, according to a retrospective study of 662 patients.
The average length of stay for children who received acetaminophen while in the hospital for an asthma exacerbation was 77 hours, compared with 56 hours for those who did not, Dr. Flory Nkoy and her colleagues reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.
Similarly, the average cost of hospitalization for children who received acetaminophen was $4,580, compared with $3,201 for those who did not.
The researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study of children aged 2-17 years who were admitted to a tertiary care children's hospital with a primary diagnosis of asthma between January 2004 and December 2006, according to Dr. Nkoy of the division of pediatric inpatient medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and her colleagues.
A total of 662 children were admitted to the hospital for asthma during the study period. Of these, 21.5% received acetaminophen during their hospital stay and met the inclusion criteria. Patients with other chronic medical conditions or who received both acetaminophen and ibuprofen were excluded.
The researchers recorded acetaminophen prescription, number of doses, length of stay, and costs. Covariates included age, gender, case-mix severity index, body mass index, and presence of an infection. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were used to determine whether the use of acetaminophen was associated with length of stay, costs, and resource utilization.
The relative resource use for patients who received acetaminophen, compared with those who didn't, was 36.3 vs. 25.5.
Dr. Nkoy did not report whether she had any relevant financial conflicts.
BALTIMORE — Acetaminophen use may contribute to prolonged hospital stay and increased cost during asthma exacerbations in children, according to a retrospective study of 662 patients.
The average length of stay for children who received acetaminophen while in the hospital for an asthma exacerbation was 77 hours, compared with 56 hours for those who did not, Dr. Flory Nkoy and her colleagues reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.
Similarly, the average cost of hospitalization for children who received acetaminophen was $4,580, compared with $3,201 for those who did not.
The researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study of children aged 2-17 years who were admitted to a tertiary care children's hospital with a primary diagnosis of asthma between January 2004 and December 2006, according to Dr. Nkoy of the division of pediatric inpatient medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and her colleagues.
A total of 662 children were admitted to the hospital for asthma during the study period. Of these, 21.5% received acetaminophen during their hospital stay and met the inclusion criteria. Patients with other chronic medical conditions or who received both acetaminophen and ibuprofen were excluded.
The researchers recorded acetaminophen prescription, number of doses, length of stay, and costs. Covariates included age, gender, case-mix severity index, body mass index, and presence of an infection. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were used to determine whether the use of acetaminophen was associated with length of stay, costs, and resource utilization.
The relative resource use for patients who received acetaminophen, compared with those who didn't, was 36.3 vs. 25.5.
Dr. Nkoy did not report whether she had any relevant financial conflicts.
BALTIMORE — Acetaminophen use may contribute to prolonged hospital stay and increased cost during asthma exacerbations in children, according to a retrospective study of 662 patients.
The average length of stay for children who received acetaminophen while in the hospital for an asthma exacerbation was 77 hours, compared with 56 hours for those who did not, Dr. Flory Nkoy and her colleagues reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.
Similarly, the average cost of hospitalization for children who received acetaminophen was $4,580, compared with $3,201 for those who did not.
The researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study of children aged 2-17 years who were admitted to a tertiary care children's hospital with a primary diagnosis of asthma between January 2004 and December 2006, according to Dr. Nkoy of the division of pediatric inpatient medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and her colleagues.
A total of 662 children were admitted to the hospital for asthma during the study period. Of these, 21.5% received acetaminophen during their hospital stay and met the inclusion criteria. Patients with other chronic medical conditions or who received both acetaminophen and ibuprofen were excluded.
The researchers recorded acetaminophen prescription, number of doses, length of stay, and costs. Covariates included age, gender, case-mix severity index, body mass index, and presence of an infection. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were used to determine whether the use of acetaminophen was associated with length of stay, costs, and resource utilization.
The relative resource use for patients who received acetaminophen, compared with those who didn't, was 36.3 vs. 25.5.
Dr. Nkoy did not report whether she had any relevant financial conflicts.