ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: High-risk antepartum patients often require long and costly hospitalization. The Mother's House facility has been used to house antepartum women on hospital property as an alternative to inpatient management. This study looked at the cost effectiveness of this facility. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective chart review on occupants (n = 111) of the Mother's House from 2003-2005 was performed. Admission, discharge, and outcome data were collected. A comparison of the cost of management at the Mother's House with the estimated cost of inpatient management was then performed. RESULTS: A cost savings of $2.1 million was seen over a 3-year period with the use of the Mother's House. Demographic data show that patients with positive drug screens are more likely to fail Mother's House management. CONCLUSION: The Mother's House is a cost effective alternative to inpatient management of some antepartum patients. Admission criteria should be modified to exclude patients with positive drug screens.
Subject(s)
Ambulatory Care , Prenatal Care , Ambulatory Care/economics , Cost-Benefit Analysis , Female , Humans , Obstetric Labor, Premature/therapy , Oligohydramnios/therapy , Placenta Previa/therapy , Pre-Eclampsia/therapy , Pregnancy , Prenatal Care/economics , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Rarely, excessively large, slow growing tumors are found to be malignant. One exception includes retroperitoneal tumors, which if considered a mass of pelvic origin, may be encountered by the gynecologic oncologist. CASE: A post-menopausal female was referred for evaluation of a huge mass thought to arise from the pelvis. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy and had resected a 50x48x45 cm, 103.6 lb. liposarcoma arising from the right retroperitoneum. DISCUSSION: Rarely, large slow growing abdomino-pelvic masses may be malignant, and one should be prepared to perform an appropriate surgical resection. This case represents removal of the largest retroperitoneal liposarcoma reported.
