The Cost of Congenital Heart Disease in Children and Adults

Abstract

Objective: To assess the cost of congenital heart disease (CHD) and to assess whether practice pattern or price was more responsible for variation. Research Design and Setting: Data were collected from Charleston, NC; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit, Mich; Houston, Tex; Los Angeles, Calif; and New York, NY. The CHD was first classified as to physiologic characteristics and severity. For each type of CHD, the number of clinic visits, hospitalizations, and years of medication use were estimated. Results: On the basis of actual charges, the "prices" were calculated as follows, in 1992 dollars: for patients from birth to 21 years: benign disease (19% of patients), $3940; acyanotic disease (45%), $49 730; cyanotic disease (36%), $102 084; and average for all CHD categories, $59 877; for patients 22 to 40 years of age (of whom 24% had resolved defects or were dead):

Proximity of residence to trichloroethylene‐emitting sites and increased risk of offspring congenital heart defects among older women

“…Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are among the most common congenital anomalies, with an estimated incidence ranging from 4 per 1000 live births (Hoffman, 1995) to 38 per 1000 live births (Ooshima et al, 1995). The impact of CHDs on pediatric morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs is substantial (Garson et al, 1994; Yang et al, 1997), yet our ability to prevent CHDs is limited because their etiologies are not well understood. Recognized risk factors such as chromosomal abnormalities in the infant (Ferencz et al, 1989), maternal alcohol abuse (Jones and Smith, 1975), and maternal diabetes (Loffredo et al, 2001) explain only a portion of CHDs.…”

Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Blood Pressure Screening in Adolescents in the United States

“…19 We assumed that treatment cost $30 000 per case, 20,21 and once diagnosed, these adolescents would be treated effectively and safely. For the remaining 90% of secondary hypertension cases, we assumed they would receive antihypertensive medications.…”

The Impact of Congenital Heart Disease on the families of affected children in African setting: Reliability and the Validity of The PedsQL Family Impact Module- The Swahili Version

“…Given that children largely rely on families, it is essential for healthcare professionals to gain a better understanding of how families manage the stressors related to CHD. This understanding will help healthcare professionals provide the necessary support and intervention to improve the quality of life (QoL) of pediatric cardiac patients (9,12).…”

“…Since the observed trend in QoL and its effect on families vary across countries (2)(3)(4)(12)(13)(14), early studies recommended that its measurement be culturally appropriate and sensitive by ensuring local participation when adopting the existing QoL tools (15,18,20,29). The utilization of various study instruments may have led to disparate outcomes regarding QoL in the existing literature (30).…”