In-hospital direct costs for thromboembolism and bleeding in Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation.

objectiveLimited data are available on the direct costs of hospitalization owing to thromboembolism and bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in China. Such data are essential for policy development, service planning, and cost-effectiveness analysis of new therapeutic strategies. This study aimed to provide detailed data regarding in-hospital direct costs for these patients, compare the costs at different scenarios, and identify independent factors that may predict the costs.

methodsWe collected data regarding in-hospital direct costs among patients with AF who were hospitalized owing to ischemic stroke (IS), transient ischemic attack (TIA), intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), or major gastrointestinal bleeding. All data were collected from 7 representative tertiary referral hospitals and 3 secondary care hospitals from December 2009 to October 2014.

resultsIn total, 312 eligible patients with thromboembolism and 143 patients with major bleeding were identified, and their hospital charts were reviewed. The median in-hospital direct costs were 17,857 Chinese Yuan (CNY) for IS and 16,589 CNY for TIA (equivalent to 2907 US dollars and 2701 US dollars, respectively). For patients with major bleeding, the costs were 27,924 CNY for ICH and 18,196 CNY for major gastrointestinal bleeding (equivalent to 4546 US dollars and 2962 US dollars, respectively). The direct costs were mainly driven by medications, which accounted for approximately 33.4%-36.1% in different groups of patients. The direct costs were highly related to the hospital level and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores in patients with thromboembolism; in patients with ICH, the factors included hospital level, warfarin treatment before admission, and prior hospitalization for stroke.

conclusionsGiven the high prevalence, AF-related thromboembolism and bleeding impose considerable economic burden on the Chinese society. Efforts to improve the management of AF may confer substantial economic benefits.