A single surgical site infection linked to Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus can cost tens of thousands of dollars, according to a Duke University Medical Center study, the first of its kind to explore the financial implications of post-op MRSA infections in a large group of hospitals.

Deverick J. Anderson, MD, MPH, an infectious diseases specialist at Duke University Medical Center, led a team of researchers that reviewed the 90-day post-op clinical and financial outcomes of 659 patients who underwent orthopedic and cardiothoracic procedures in 7 hospitals between Jan. 1, 1998, and April 1, 2003. Patients with SSIs due to MRSA were 35 times more likely to be readmitted following surgery, required more than 3 weeks of hospitalization and cost hospitals approximately $60,000 in additional charges, notes the research.

The total estimated cost resulting from surgical site infections due to MRSA at the 7 hospitals was more than $19 million. "That's a staggering amount, which demonstrates an area of cost-saving potential for these institutions and other community hospitals," says Dr. Anderson.

Dr. Anderson says facility administrators and infection control specialists need to identify patients at high risk for MRSA (elderly patients and patients with severely to moderately limited activities of daily living, for example) and place major emphasis on performing correct patient skin preps and following proper hand hygiene prior to surgery. He advises healthcare leaders to develop preventative interventions aimed at protecting patients and controlling healthcare costs. "Given our estimated expense of a single MRSA case, we can conclude that a $60,000 intervention to prevent even one of these infections would be cost-effective for an institution."

Daniel Cook