[The costs of hospital infections in a group of patients in a tertiary-care hospital]. / Costos de infecciones intrahospitalarias de un grupo de pacientes en un hospital de tercer nivel de atención.

OBJECTIVE: To know the cost generated by nosocomial infections, to establish the proportion of the total hospital budget used in extra-days of stay, drugs, laboratory and others items used for the treatment. METHODS: We studied 131 nosocomial infections in 82 patients attended in hospital's departments from June to August 1995. We evaluated days of stay, type of infection, episodes per patient, drugs, laboratory, and others items used in the treatment of nosocomial infections. We took percentage of cost of every point and the mean of the total cost generated by year cause nosocomial infections and a cost per infection in every department. RESULTS: The total overtime of stay was 970 days, mean per infection was 7.4. Totals days of antimicrobials was 974, mean was 11.9 days per infection. The hospital processed 410 laboratory studies, 191 cabinet studies. The total cost generated by overtime stay was $3,415,860.00, and considering also drugs, laboratory and cabinet studies $3,516,421.00. CONCLUSIONS: The cost of the nosocomial infections depends on the overtime stay, drugs, laboratory and cabinet studies needed for their treatment. Neonatology generated presented more than one infection generating higher cost. Total cost in 3 months was $3'516,421.00, nosocomial infections would take $14'065,684.00 in a year, involving 12.1% of the hospital total budget. Preventive measures must be taken trying to diminish these costs.