The Cost of Postoperative Infection following Orthopaedic Fracture Surgery

The objective of this paper is to describe the costs associated with postoperative infection following orthopedic fracture surgery. The data provided is based on a narrative review and an analysis of national claims and discharge databases in the United States. The narrative research specifically evaluated the costs associated with postoperative infections following the treatment of proximal femur, tibia, humerus, and ankle fractures. Two US databases were used to estimate the annual incidence of a deep surgical site infection following fracture treatment and the costs associated with that treatment. Previous studies suggest that the cost of treatment for an infected patient is likely to be at least twice the cost of treating an uninfected patient. However, the current literature is limited to small retrospective reviews focused narrowly on the direct health care sector costs of treatment. Further research is required to better estimate the costs of postoperative infection in orthopedic trauma patients, particularly the nonhealth care sector and indirect costs associated with impairment and lost productivity to the patient and caregiver.