Skip Navigation



Europace Advance Access published online on January 10, 2006
Europace, doi:10.1093/europace/euj035
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (Rapid PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
8/2/122    most recent
euj035v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Barón-Esquivias, G.
Right arrow Articles by Burgos, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Barón-Esquivias, G.
Right arrow Articles by Burgos, J.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The European Society of Cardiology 2006. All rights reserved
Received June 6, 2005
Accepted November 9, 2005

Article

Cost of diagnosis and treatment of syncope in patients admitted to a cardiology unit

Gonzalo Barón-Esquivias 1 *, Silvia Gómez Moreno 1, Ángel Martínez 1, Alonso Pedrote 1, Francisco Vázquez 1, Carlos Granados 1, Enrique Bollaín 1, Ernesto Lage 1, Luis Díaz de la Llera 1, María J. Rodríguez 1, Francisco Errázquin 1, and José Burgos 1

1 Cardiology Department, ‘Virgen del Rocio’, University Hospital, Avenida de Manuel Siurot s/n., 41013 Seville, Spain

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Gonzalo Barón-Esquivias, E-mail: gbaron{at}jet.es


  Abstract

Aims Despite the large number of hospital admissions due to syncope, information on the in-hospital cost of management of these patients remains incomplete.

Methods and results In order to assess such cost, we analysed the clinical histories of the patients suffering from syncope who were admitted to our Unit of Cardiology in 2003. We determined the length of stay (in days) for each inpatient, the number of diagnostic tests performed, and the various therapeutic procedures undertaken. Two hundred and three patients (mean age 68 ± 14, 49% female) were admitted because of syncope. Final diagnoses on discharge were drug-induced syncope in 10 patients, vasovagal syncope in 11, syncope secondary to cardiac ischaemia in 18, valvular disease in 4, rapid supraventricular arrhythmia in 20, ventricular arrhythmia in 19, atrioventricular block in 90, and unexplained syncope in 31 patients. Of these 203 patients, 70 (34.5%) had a previous history of cardiac disease. The global cost for all 203 patients was 2 264 979{euro}. The overall cost per patient was 11 158{euro} (range: 1651-31 762) including stay, diagnosis, and treatment. The overall cost of hospital stay per patient was 3718{euro} (range: 1436-5679). The overall cost per diagnosis of the 203 patients was 1141{euro} (range: 155-3577), and the cost of the therapeutic procedures required was 6299{euro} (range: 0-23 115). The most expensive were those cases of syncope secondary to ventricular arrhythmia, the cost of which is 20 times that of drug-induced syncope.

Conclusion The cost per diagnosis and treatment of a patient admitted because of syncope varies widely with important differences depending on the specific cause.

Keywords: Syncope; Cost analysis; Diagnosis.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.