Sepsis and pneumonia caused by hospital-acquired infections killed 48,000 people and led to $8.1 billion in increased health care costs in the United States in 2006, says a new study by a project called Extending the Cure.
The project examining antibiotic resistance is based at the Washington, D.C. think-tank Resources for the Future.
Researchers analyzed 69 million discharge records from hospitals in 40 states to assess the impact of preventable infections. They found that a patient who developed sepsis -- a life-threatening immune response to infection -- after surgery stayed in the hospital 11 days longer and cost an extra $33,000 to treat.
Hospital-Acquired Sepsis, Pneumonia a 'Growing Menace'
