Affiliation:
1. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Abstract
Malignancy of the esophagus or mediastinum can present with obstruction. Our focus is to identify the most effective means of managing this population. Data was gathered from a single institution for patients admitted with esophageal obstruction. Patients were categorized based on admission to thoracic surgery or the hospitalist service. Primary end-points were hospital length-of-stay (LOS) and hospital cost. The mean LOS was 4.4 days when admitted to thoracic surgery versus 13.5 days when admitted to a hospitalist ( P = .0005). The mean overall cost was $43,902 less per patient when admitted to thoracic surgery ($75 809 vs $31 907; P = .003).