[Costs of appendicitis treatment by diagnosis-related groups in a third-level pediatric hospital]

BACKGROUND

Diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) are widely used in Europe. They allow performing comparisons in hospitals and incurrent hospital payment systems, defining the payment categories. We undertook this study to classify children who underwent appendectomy according to DRGs.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study. Comorbidities, length of hospitalization, histopathologic classification, and DRG classifications were analyzed.

RESULTS

We included 313 patients, 62% males, with an average age of 8 ± 3 years; 91% were referred by another hospital and 67% were treated at night. Average length of hospitalization was 4 ± 3 days. There were comorbidities in 8% and surgical complications in 11%. According to histopathology, appendicitis was edematous (11%), suppurative (36%), gangrenous (22%), perforated (29%), and abscessed (2%). At discharge, 97% of the patients were healthy. Total cost for DRG 343 was $10,470,173.00 (Mexican pesos), DRG 342 was $1,227,592.00 and DRG 340 was $511,521.00. The global amount was $12,209,286.00 (Mexican pesos).

CONCLUSION

The unitary cost for treatment of appendectomy for DRG 343 was $37,935.00, for DRG 342 was $49,103.00 and for DRG 340 was $42,626.00 (Mexican pesos). Because 88% of the cases of appendicitis were uncomplicated, this amount of money could be spent to treat these patients in a second-level hospital, using reimbursement 343 without generating additional expenses.

[Clinical characteristics of the thyroid follicular carcinoma]

BACKGROUND

the prevalence of thyroid follicular carcinoma (TFC) is 39 % in patients with an undetermined histological diagnosis. The aim was to know the prevalence of TFC in a hospital with high population concentration.

METHODS

surgical reports with a final diagnosis of TFC were reviewed. The size of the tumor, age, gender, pre- and post-surgical diagnosis and comorbidities were retrieved.

RESULTS

a total of 35 reports with a diagnosis of TFC were found: 30 (85 %) were females with a mean age 44 ± 16.9 years. The mean age was 57 ± 6.6 in males. The diagnoses before surgery were follicular carcinoma 14 (40 %), thyroid cancer 6 (17.1 %), thyroid adenoma 4 (11.4 %), goiter 3 (8.5 %), thyroid nodule 3 (8.5 %), one papillary carcinoma (2.8 %), one thyroid neoplasm (2.8 %), one poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (2.8 %), one well differentiated follicular adenocarcinoma (2.8 %), and one medullary thyroid cancer (2.8 %). The comorbidities found were Hashimoto disease 2 (5.6 %) and papillary contralateral carcinoma 2 patients (5.6 %).

CONCLUSIONS

follicular carcinomas of the thyroid of our population differ in clinical presentation compared with previous reports.

[Prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in elderly patients and associated factors in a general hospital of the north of Mexico]

There are few reports on the impact of diabetes in the geriatric population.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of diabetes in the geriatric population in a hospital in Northeast Mexico.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study and a probabilistic sampling were made. The files of outpatients of the geriatrics department in a General Hospital in Monterrey, Mexico,were examined. The information obtained from these files was related to the patient's personal pathological and non-pathological background, besides a full geriatric evaluation.

RESULTS

A total of 171 files were examined, out of which 97 (56.7%) belonged to females and 74 (43.3%) to males. The mean age was 78 ± 6.9 years. Diabetes was found in 76 patients (44%), major depression was found in 85 patients (50%), with the latter being more common in diabetic patients (p = 0.002). It was also found that diabetic patients take more drugs during their disease. Adjusting for age, gender, and academic level, cognitive impairment was found in 110 patients (64.3%).

CONCLUSIONS

Diabetes mellitus is more frequent in the geriatric population and it uses more resources.