Impact of atrial fibrillation on inpatient cost for ischemic stroke in the USA

Abstract

Background Atrial fibrillation is a significant risk factor for ischemic stroke and increases cost of treatment. Aims To estimate the incremental inpatient cost and length of stay due to atrial fibrillation among adults hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of ischemic stroke after controlling for sociodemographic, clinical, and hospital characteristics in a nationally representative discharge record of US population. Methods Hospital discharge records with a primary diagnosis of ischemic stroke were identified from the National Inpatient Sample data for the years 2010–2013. Generalized linear model with log link and least-square means were utilized to estimate the incremental inpatient cost and length of stay in ischemic stroke due to atrial fibrillation after controlling for sociodemographic, clinical, and hospital characteristics. Results Among 434,544 hospital discharge records with a primary diagnosis of ischemic stroke, 90,190 (20.76%) discharge records had a secondary diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. The average inpatient cost for all discharge records with a primary diagnosis of ischemic stroke was (mean = $13,072, median = $9270.87) significantly (p < 0.0001) higher compared to all discharge records without ischemic stroke (mean = $12,543.07, median = $7517.13). The mean length of stay for all records was 4.55 days (95% CI = 4.53–4.56). Among those identified with ischemic stroke, adjusted mean inpatient cost was higher by $2829 (95% CI = $2708–$2949) and mean length of stay was greater by 0.85 (95% CI = 0.81–0.89) for those with atrial fibrillation compared to those without. Conclusions The presence of atrial fibrillation was associated with increased inpatient cost and length of stay among patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke. Increased inpatient cost and length of stay call for a more comprehensive patient care approach including targeted interventions among adults diagnosed with ischemic stroke and atrial fibrillation, which could potentially reduce the overall cost in this population.