BACKGROUND: We investigated whether a recently restructured pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) had a decrease in the cost of @entity1 care over the years. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 89 previously healthy @entity1 admitted to the PICU of a community-based, university-affiliated teaching hospital over a 4-year period (1991 to 1994) for treatment of lower @entity1030 . Data collected were @entity1 age, severity of @entity221 , length of stay in both PICU and hospital, prorated hospital bill, year of admission, and @entity1 -specific PICU-originated costs (POC). RESULTS: There was a decrease of POC over the 4-year period, though two factors were associated with a cost increase in this group of @entity1 : an increase in the severity of @entity221 and intubation. The decrease over the years remained present even when excluding intubated @entity1 and adjusting for severity of @entity221 . A decline of 58% below the initial cost for diagnostic tests was the most prominent of all the individual areas studied. Decreases in POC correlated with decreases in the prorated hospital bill. CONCLUSIONS: The costs of management for these previously healthy @entity1 treated for lower @entity1030 decreased over the study period. We speculate that the time related decrease in costs is a reflection of the learning curve of the pediatric critical care team. The decrease in POC did not shift costs to other areas of the hospital.

Decrease in costs for management of lower XXXX in the pediatric intensive care unit.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient'] @entity221 :: ('MESH:D005334', 'Disease') :: ['illness'] @entity1030 :: ('MESH:D029424', 'Disease') :: ['airway disease']
@entity1030 :: (MESH:D029424,Disease) :: ['airway disease']
