Newer bronchopulmonary dysplasia definitions and prediction of health economics impacts in very preterm infants.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the abilities of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) definitions to predict hospital charges as a surrogate of disease complexity. METHODS: Retrospective study of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) less than 32 weeks gestational age. Subjects were classified according to the Canadian Neonatal Network (CNN), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (2018), and Jensen BPD definitions as none, mild (1), moderate (2), or severe (3) BPD. Spearman's correlation was performed to evaluate the association of BPD definitions with health economics outcomes. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-eight infants were included with mean birth weight of 1197 g and mean gestational age of 28.4 weeks. More infants were classified as no BPD according to CNN definition (79%) in comparison to NICHD 2018 (64.3%) and Jensen (59.5%) definitions. There were fewer infants as the grade of severity increased for all definitions, this was most linear for Jensen definition with Grade 1 present in 25%, Grade 2 in 12.5%, and Grade 3 in 3%. A stronger correlation with NICU length of stay, NICU hospital charges, NICU charges per day, and first year of life hospital charges was detected for Jensen definition (correlation coefficient of 0.58, 0.66, 0.64, 0.67, respectively) in comparison to CNN and NICHD 2018 definitions (p < .0001). CONCLUSION: Jensen BPD definition had the strongest correlation with first year health economics outcomes in our study. Validating recent BPD definitions using population-based data is imperative to improve family counseling and enhance the designs of quality improvement initiatives and therapeutic research studies targeting patient-centric outcomes.

Hospitalization costs associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia in the first year of life.

OBJECTIVE: To determine costs of hospitalization associated with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) during the first year in very low birth weight infants. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study of California births from 2008 to 2011 linking birth certificate, discharge records, and clinical data from California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative. Inclusion: birth weight 401-1500 g, gestational age < 30 weeks, inborn or transferred within 2 days, alive at 36 weeks corrected, and without major congenital anomalies. Outcomes included cost and length of stay of initial hospitalization and rehospitalizations. RESULT: Out of 7998 eligible infants, 2696 (33.7%) developed BPD. Median hospitalization cost in the first year was $377,871 per infant with BPD compared with $175,836 per infant without BPD (adjusted cost ratio 1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.49-1.59). Infants with BPD also had longer length of stay and a higher likelihood of rehospitalization. CONCLUSION: BPD is associated with substantial resource utilization. Prevention strategies could help conserve healthcare resources.

An exclusive human milk diet for very low birth weight newborns-A cost-effectiveness and EVPI study for Germany.

OBJECTIVES: Human milk-based fortifiers have shown a protective effect on major complications for very low birth weight newborns. The current study aimed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of an exclusive human milk diet (EHMD) compared to the current approach using cow's milk-based fortifiers in very low birth weight newborns. METHODS: A decision tree model using the health states of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), sepsis, NEC + sepsis and no complication was used to calculate the cost-effectiveness of an EHMD. For each health state, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), retinopathy of prematurity (RoP) and neurodevelopmental problems were included as possible complications; additionally, short-bowel syndrome (SBS) was included as a complication for surgical treatment of NEC. The model was stratified into birth weight categories. Costs for inpatient treatment and long-term consequences were considered from a third party payer perspective for the reference year 2017. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed, including a societal perspective, discounting rate and all input parameter-values. RESULTS: In the base case, the EHMD was estimated to be cost-effective compared to the current nutrition for very low birth weight newborns with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of €28,325 per Life-Year-Gained (LYG). From a societal perspective, the ICER is €27,494/LYG using a friction cost approach and €16,112/LYG using a human capital approach. Deterministic sensitivity analyses demonstrated that the estimate was robust against changes in the input parameters and probabilistic sensitivity analysis suggested that the probability EHMD was cost-effective at a threshold of €45,790/LYG was 94.8 percent. CONCLUSION: Adopting EHMD as the standard approach to nutrition is a cost-effective intervention for very low birth weight newborns in Germany.

The economic impact of prematurity and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is one of the most serious chronic lung diseases in infancy and one of the most important sequels of premature birth (prevalence of 15-50%). Our objective was to estimate the cost of BPD of one preterm baby, with no other major prematurity-related complications, during the first 2 years of life in Spain. Data from the Spanish Ministry of Health regarding costs of diagnosis-related group of preterm birth, hospital admissions and visits, palivizumab administration, and oxygen therapy in the year 2013 were analyzed. In 2013, 2628 preterm babies were born with a weight under 1500 g; 50.9% were males. The need for respiratory support was 2.5% needed only oxygen therapy, 39.5% required conventional mechanical ventilation, and 14.9% required high-frequency ventilation. The incidence of BPD was of 34.9%. The cost of the first 2 years of life of a preterm baby with BPD and no other major prematurity-related complications ranged between 45,049.81 € and 118,760.43 €, in Spain, depending on birth weight and gestational age. If the baby required home oxygen therapy or developed pulmonary hypertension, this cost could add up to 181,742.43 €. CONCLUSION: Prematurity and BPD have an elevated cost, even for public health care systems. This cost will probably increase in the coming years if the incidence and survival of preterm babies keeps rising. The development of new therapies and preventive strategies to decrease the incidence of BPD and other morbidities associated with prematurity should be a priority. What is known: • Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a serious chronic lung disease related with premature birth. • BPD is an increasing disease due to the up-rise in the number of premature births. What is new: • The economic cost of preterm birth and BPD has never before been estimated in Spain nor published with European data. • Preterm babies with BPD and a good clinical outcome carry also an important economic and social burden.

Short-term costs of preeclampsia to the United States health care system.

BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality and adverse neonatal outcomes. Little is known about the extent of the health and cost burden of preeclampsia in the United States. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to quantify the annual epidemiological and health care cost burden of preeclampsia to both mothers and infants in the United States in 2012. STUDY DESIGN: We used epidemiological and econometric methods to assess the annual cost of preeclampsia in the United States using a combination of population-based and administrative data sets: the National Center for Health Statistics Vital Statistics on Births, the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative Databases, the US Health Care Cost and Utilization Project database, and a commercial claims data set. RESULTS: Preeclampsia increased the probability of an adverse event from 4.6% to 10.1% for mothers and from 7.8% to 15.4% for infants while lowering gestational age by 1.7 weeks (P < .001). Overall, the total cost burden of preeclampsia during the first 12 months after birth was $1.03 billion for mothers and $1.15 billion for infants. The cost burden per infant is dependent on gestational age, ranging from $150,000 at 26 weeks gestational age to $1311 at 36 weeks gestational age. CONCLUSION: In 2012, the cost of preeclampsia within the first 12 months of delivery was $2.18 billion in the United States ($1.03 billion for mothers and $1.15 billion for infants), and was disproportionately borne by births of low gestational age.

Influence of own mother's milk on bronchopulmonary dysplasia and costs.

BACKGROUND: Human milk from the infant's mother (own mother's milk; OMM) feedings reduces the risk of several morbidities in very low birthweight (VLBW) infants, but limited data exist regarding its impact on bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). OBJECTIVE: To prospectively study the impact of OMM received in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) on the risk of BPD and associated costs. DESIGN/METHODS: A 5-year prospective cohort study of the impact of OMM dose on growth, morbidity and NICU costs in VLBW infants. OMM dose was the proportion of enteral intake that consisted of OMM from birth to 36 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) or discharge, whichever occurred first. BPD was defined as the receipt of oxygen and/or positive pressure ventilation at 36 weeks PMA. NICU costs included hospital and physician costs. RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 254 VLBW infants with mean birth weight 1027±257 g and gestational age 27.8±2.5 weeks. Multivariable logistic regression demonstrated a 9.5% reduction in the odds of BPD for every 10% increase in OMM dose (OR 0.905 (0.824 to 0.995)). After controlling for demographic and clinical factors, BPD was associated with an increase of US$41 929 in NICU costs. CONCLUSIONS: Increased dose of OMM feedings from birth to 36 weeks PMA was associated with a reduction in the odds of BPD in VLBW infants. Thus, high-dose OMM feeding may be an inexpensive, effective strategy to help reduce the risk of this costly multifactorial morbidity.

Should we still use vitamin A to prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia?

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is associated with significant short- and long-term morbidity in preterm infants, and it can be prevented in some infants with vitamin A prophylaxis. Vitamin A, once widely used in neonatal intensive care, was scarce for the last few years, but has become available again at a much higher price, leading to dilemmas about its routine use. In this review we discuss experimental, clinical and socioeconomic evidence related to BPD, and provide a framework for clinicians and policy-makers to evaluate the value of vitamin A treatment and make decisions about its use for prevention of BPD.

Socio-economic factors and outcomes in chronic lung disease of prematurity.

RATIONALE: Infants and children with chronic lung disease of prematurity (CLDP) are at increased risk for respiratory morbidities. We sought to determine (1) whether socio-economic status, race/ethnicity, and/or sex are risk factors for respiratory morbidities and (2) whether disparities in care existed for major therapy decisions such as home supplemental oxygen and gastrostomy tubes as well as initial length of stay in the neonatal intensive care unit. METHODS: Between January 2008 and February 2010 sociodemographic and respiratory morbidity data were collected on premature (<32 weeks gestation) infants and children (<3 years old) with CLDP. Associations between risk factors and respiratory morbidities and treatment parameters were examined using adjusted regression models. RESULTS: Data were collected on 135 subjects (gestational age: 26.2±2.0 weeks). Self-reported non-Whites were more likely to report rescue medication use in the past 7 days [adjusted OR: 2.87 (1.28-6.45), P=0.011] and the use of systemic steroids for respiratory symptoms since the last clinic visit [adjusted OR: 2.12 (1.02-4.43), P=0.045]. Lower median household income was associated with increased activity limitations [adjusted OR: 2.79 (1.16-6.70), P=0.022] and public insurance coverage was associated with a decreased risk for hospitalizations [adjusted OR: 0.36 (0.13-0.98), P=0.045]. Major therapy decisions were not associated with disparities of care. CONCLUSIONS: A key finding was that non-Whites were more likely to report rescue medication and systemic steroid use than Whites, but there was no difference in the frequency of respiratory symptoms or preventative inhaled corticosteroid use. Etiologies for these findings remain unclear and require further research.

Respiratory morbidity, healthcare utilisation and cost of care at school age related to home oxygen status.

UNLABELLED: The aim of the study was to determine whether respiratory morbidity, lung function, healthcare utilisation and cost of care at school age in prematurely born children who had bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) were influenced by use of supplementary oxygen at home after neonatal intensive care unit discharge. Healthcare utilisation and cost of care in years 5 to 7 and respiratory morbidity (parent-completed respiratory questionnaire) and lung function measurements at least at age 8 years were assessed in 160 children. Their median gestational age was 27 (range 22-31) weeks and 65 of them had received supplementary oxygen when discharged home (home oxygen group). The home oxygen group had more outpatient attendances (p = 0.0168) and respiratory-related outpatient attendances (p = 0.0032) with greater related cost of care (p = 0.0186 and p = 0.0030, respectively), their cost of care for prescriptions (p = 0.0409) and total respiratory related cost of care (p = 0.0354) were significantly greater. There were, however, no significant differences in cough, wheeze or lung function results between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Prematurely born children who had BPD and supplementary oxygen at home after discharge had increased healthcare utilisation at school age. Whether such children require greater follow, in the absence of excess respiratory morbidity, merits investigation.

Scope and impact of early and late preterm infants admitted to the PICU with respiratory illness.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical course and outcomes of children born early preterm (EPT, <32 weeks), late preterm (LPT, 32 to 35 weeks), and full term (FT, >or=36 weeks) who were subsequently admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with respiratory illness. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review of patients <2 years old admitted to a tertiary PICU with respiratory illness. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy-one patients met inclusion criteria: 17.3% were EPT, 12.2% were LPT, and 70.5% were FT. Lower respiratory tract infection was the most common diagnosis (55%) for all groups. Median PICU length of stay was longer for EPT (6.3 days) and LPT infants (7.1 days) compared with FT infants (3.7 days; P < .03 for both comparisons). EPT and LPT infants had longer hospital stays (median, 11.7 and 13.8 days, respectively) compared with FT infants (median, 7.1 days; P < .03 and P = .004, respectively). Median hospital charges were also greater for EPT ($85 151) and LPT ($83 576) groups compared with FT group ($55 122; P < .01 and P < .02, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: EPT and LPT infants comprise a considerable proportion of PICU admissions for respiratory illness and have greater resource utilization than FT infants.

Cost effectiveness of palivizumab for RSV prevention in high-risk children in the Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common pathogen that is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infections in young children. High-risk children are at risk of severe infection, which may require hospitalisation. RSV is also associated with a high risk for respiratory morbidity and mortality, which may have long-term clinical and economic consequences. OBJECTIVE: To assess the cost effectiveness of palivizumab, a humanised monoclonal antibody, used as prevention against severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection requiring hospitalisation, in the indication of preterm infants and infants with preterm/bronchopulmonary dysplasia and in the second indication of children with congenital heart disease in the Dutch healthcare setting. METHODS: A decision-tree model was used to estimate the cost effectiveness of palivizumab, used as a preventative treatment against severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, in high-risk groups of children in the Netherlands. The analysis was based on a lifetime follow-up period in order to capture the impact of palivizumab on long-term morbidity and mortality resulting from an RSV infection. Data sources included published literature, the palivizumab pivotal trials, official price/tariff lists and national population statistics. The study was conducted from the perspective of society in the Netherlands. RESULTS: The use of palivizumab results in undiscounted incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of €12,728/QALY and €4,256/QALY in preterm/bronchopulmonary dysplasia and congenital heart disease indications, respectively. Inclusion of indirect costs leads to even more favourable cost-effectiveness outcomes. The study is limited by a number of conservative assumptions. It was assumed that palivizumab only affects the occurrence of RSV hospitalisation and does not influence the severity of the RSV infection. Another assumption was that international clinical trial data and data on utilities could be applied to the Dutch healthcare setting. CONCLUSION: Palivizumab provides cost-effective prophylaxis against RSV in high-risk infants. The use of palivizumab in these children results in positive short- and long-term health-economic benefits.

School age outcome of hospitalisation with respiratory syncytial virus infection of prematurely born infants.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalisation due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in the first 2 years after birth has been associated with increased healthcare utilisation and associated costs up to 5 years of age in children born prematurely at less than 32 weeks of gestation who developed bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). A study was undertaken to determine whether hospitalisation due to RSV infection in the first 2 years was associated with increased morbidity and lung function abnormalities in such children at school age, and if any effects were influenced by age. METHODS: Healthcare utilisation and cost of care in years 5-7 were reviewed in 147 children and changes in healthcare utilisation between 0 and 8 years were assessed also using results from two previous studies. At age 8-10 years, 77 children had their lung function assessed and bronchial hyper-responsiveness determined. RESULTS: Children hospitalised with RSV infection (n = 25) in the first 2 years had a greater cost of care related to outpatient attendance than those with a non-respiratory or no admission (n = 72) when aged 5-7 years (p = 0.008). At 8-10 years of age, children hospitalised with RSV infection (n = 14) had lower forced expiratory volume in 0.75 s (FEV(0.75)) (p = 0.015), FEV(0.75)/forced vital capacity (p = 0.027) and flows at 50% (p = 0.034) and 75% (p = 0.006) of vital capacity than children hospitalised for non-RSV causes (n = 63). Healthcare utilisation decreased with increasing age regardless of RSV hospitalisation status. CONCLUSIONS: In prematurely born children who had BPD, hospitalisation due to RSV infection in the first 2 years is associated with reduced airway calibre at school age.

An analysis of program and family costs of case managed care for technology-dependent infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Caring for technology-dependent infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia requires a wide range and intense level of services. Case management programs can offer comprehensive services to patients with complex needs. The Neonatal Pulmonary Program at Tulane University Medical Center is a case management program for infants with chronic pulmonary problems. The purpose of this study was to describe the costs of providing care for technology-dependent infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and to include the direct and indirect costs to families as well as the Program costs. The study population included 89 infants enrolled in the program from September 1987 through February 1992. Outpatient, inpatient, and professional staff costs were derived from hospital and clinic billing information; all other costs were determined through family interviews. Total costs for outpatient services were $59,627 (89), professional team members time $185,539 (89); inpatient services $1,144,930 (89), professional costs for inpatient services $88,946; direct health costs $32,543 (37) for home health care, equipment, medications, special diets; direct non-health costs $30,670 (37) for transportation, meals, child care, lodging during clinic visits and rehospitalizations and household expenses to accommodate equipment needs; and indirect costs $26,173 (37) for missed work days and employment changes.

Expenditures for care of children with chronic illnesses enrolled in the Washington State Medicaid program, fiscal year 1993.

OBJECTIVE: We calculated expenditures for children with one of eight selected chronic health conditions who were enrolled in the Washington State Medicaid program and compared them with payments for all Medicaid-enrolled children. We examined variation in mean, median, and total expenditures and identified expenditure sources. METHODS: This study analyzed Medicaid claims data for 310 977 children aged 0 to 18 who were enrolled at any time in fiscal year 1993. Tracer conditions were used to examine expenditure variation within and between diagnostic groupings. A total of 18 233 children (5.9%) had at least one of the conditions. Expenditures were calculated based on payments made by the Medicaid program. RESULTS: Children with one of the eight selected conditions incurred mean expenditures of $3800, compared with $955 for all Medicaid-enrolled children. Mean payments associated with the selected conditions ranged from 2.5 times to 20 times more than payments to all children. Approximately 10% of children accounted for approximately 70% of the payments in general and in each diagnostic grouping. Variation in mean, median, and total expenditures was extensive among the conditions. For most conditions, inpatient stays accounted for the greatest proportion of expenditures; for some conditions, durable equipment, home nursing, and medication-related services accounted for substantial proportions of total expenditures. CONCLUSIONS: Medical care for children with selected chronic health conditions is 2.5 to 20 times more expensive than children in general, depending on the condition. A relatively few children account for the majority of expenditures. Extensive variation in mean, median, and total expenditures suggests that different conditions will need to be kept distinct for purposes of establishing payment rates. Children with certain conditions are vulnerable to restrictions in specific services, depending on what restrictions are imposed by a financing program. Further analyses are needed to identify risk-adjustment strategies to support delivery of high-quality services to this population of children as they migrate into managed-care environments.

Early transfer to a rehabilitation hospital for infants with chronic bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Shortly after being weaned off the respirator, 43 infants with severe chronic bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) were transferred from an intensive-care nursery at a teaching hospital to an affiliated children's rehabilitation hospital in a program that included special staff instruction. Morbidity, measured by rate of transfer back to the acute-care hospital, was lower than in a comparison group of 15 infants treated for severe BPD during the previous two years. Average length of stay was significantly shortened and an average of $60,000 per patient was saved. Using a rehabilitation hospital as a step-down unit shifts the emphasis from acute needs to chronic and developmental needs and from intensive monitoring and nursing care to care given at home by parents with nursing assistance.

Financial and emotional cost of bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in infants with neonatal respiratory disease significantly increases the duration of hospitalization and cost of medical care. Early discharge on home oxygen therapy results in cost savings for third-party payers and the hospital, but adds financial and emotional burdens for the family. The median cost of initial hospitalization for 59 infants was $173,160 each. The median duration of home oxygen therapy was 92 days; the median cost was $5,195, compared with a projected cost of $46,920 for hospitalization for the same period. Two thirds of the 59 families experienced increased financial stress associated with marital status, reduced income, type of health insurance, and/or lack of respite or nursing help. Emotional stress was assessed in 26 (44%) of the families; one half coped well. Parents' perception of adequate insurance and stable income was significantly associated with positive coping. Providing home care for an infant with BPD on oxygen therapy is rewarding in many respects, but success requires appreciating its financial and emotional impact on families and providing them with social and financial support.