RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Asthma is one of the most common breathing pathologies in the pediatric population that causes many consults to the emergency service, generating a high cost for the services of health. OBJECTIVE: To determine the direct cost of the treatment in the pediatric patients with acute crisis of asthma in the emergency service from 1998 to 2001 in a hospital of second level of medical attention of the health sector. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A retrospective cohort study was done in the emergency service of pediatrics patients with ages from 12 months to 18 years 11 months, who visited the service during the period of study. To calculate the total cost that these patients generated, the unitary price of medications, nebulize, oxygen, consults and hospitalization in the emergency service were determine. RESULTS: A total of 106,813 consultations was provided from 1998 to 2001 in emergency service, 26,387 were hospitalized and of these, 9,328, with diagnosis of asthma, required handling with inhalotherapy. The total direct cost in the period of study was of $17,620,517.83, nebulize: $213,292.60, oxygen: $788,287.57, steroids: $253,619.70, aminophylline: $152,589.00, medical attention: $3,232,360.38, hospitalization in the emergency service: $12,980,468.58. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the biggest costs were generated by the oxygen consume and the hospitalizations. Asthma generates an important demand in emergency services, thus it is necessary to improve alternatives in the control and education of patients, in order to reduce the number of events, severity of the crises and to improve the quality of the patients' life and their families.