An assessment of medical resource utilization and hospitalization cost associated with a diagnosis of anemia in women with obstetrical bleeding in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: Anemia during pregnancy has been associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Although women with obstetrical bleeding are at increased risk for developing anemia, little is known about the prevalence and burden associated with anemia in hospitalized women with this condition. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence, demographic characteristics, medical resource utilization, and hospitalization cost associated with a diagnosis of anemia in hospitalized women with obstetrical bleeding in the United States. METHODS: The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2003) was queried using ICD-9-CM codes to identify all pregnancy-related discharges as well as discharges with diagnosis codes for conditions associated with obstetrical bleeding. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate demographic characteristics, medical resource utilization components and hospitalization cost for two groups: patients with a diagnosis of anemia and patients without a diagnosis of anemia. RESULTS: Of the estimated 4,525,714 pregnancy-related discharges in the United States in 2003, more than 250,000 recorded diagnosis codes associated with obstetrical bleeding. Nearly 1 in 5 of these women had an anemia diagnosis. A diagnosis of anemia in hospitalized women with obstetrical bleeding was associated with a 9-fold increase in blood transfusion (p < 0.0001), 33% longer average length of stay (p < 0.0001), and 50% higher average total cost per hospitalization (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Anemia and blood transfusion are frequently observed in hospitalized women with obstetrical bleeding. To improve outcomes in these patients and alleviate the adverse impact of anemia on postpartum health status, greater provider awareness of the prevalence and burden of illness associated with a diagnosis of anemia in hospitalized women with obstetrical bleeding is warranted.

Assessment of the prevalence and impact of anemia on women hospitalized for gynecologic conditions associated with heavy uterine bleeding.

OBJECTIVE: Women with heavy uterine bleeding often are untreated or inadequately treated for anemia. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence and impact of anemia in women hospitalized for gynecologic conditions associated with heavy uterine bleeding. STUDY DESIGN: The largest all-payer inpatient care database, the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's 2003 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, was queried using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes to identify and group women with gynecologic diagnoses associated with heavy uterine bleeding into 2 categories: those with or without anemia. Groups were evaluated for demographic characteristics, medical resource utilization and hospitalization costs using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: More than 25% of the estimated 300,589 women in the study had a diagnosis of anemia. Compared to patients without a diagnosis of anemia, those with an anemia diagnosis were more likely to have a blood transfusion (24% vs. 0.7%, p<0.0001), an emergency department admission (26.8% vs. 3.2%, p<0.0001) and higher hospitalization costs ($5,631 vs. $5,101, p <0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Anemia and blood transfusions are common in women hospitalized for gynecologic conditions associated with heavy uterine bleeding. Greater patient and provider awareness of the prevalence and burden associated with anemia may increase opportunities to reduce blood transfusions and improve general health status and quality of life in this patient population.