Hospitalizations of adults with spina bifida and congenital spinal cord anomalies.

OBJECTIVE

To examine hospital admission records from a large cohort of persons with spina bifida (SB) with a variety of insurers to provide descriptive detail about adult hospital use for persons with SB and associated disorders in terms of primary diagnosis for hospitalization, age, sex, payer source, lengths of stay, and total charges.

DESIGN

Retrospective secondary data analysis from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project for 2004 and 2005 of hospitalizations for adults with SB or associated spinal cord anomalies.

SETTING

Records from U.S. inpatient hospital admissions.

PARTICIPANTS

Persons with SB age 18 years and older.

INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Diagnoses associated with hospitalizations and death.

RESULTS

The most common primary diagnosis for hospitalization was urinary tract infection, followed by complications from devices/grafts/implants and skin wounds. Sepsis accounted for the most deaths. Approximately one third of hospitalizations were for primary diagnoses of potentially preventable conditions. Hospitalizations associated with a primary diagnosis of a potentially preventable condition occurred most often in those less than 51 years of age and in rural or urban nonteaching hospitals.

CONCLUSIONS

Reducing the number of secondary medical conditions with proactive and preventative approaches to health care could reduce the morbidity, mortality, and cost for health care for this group.