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The Unforeseen Toll of Birth Defects and their Economic Burden at a Tertiary Care Public Institute in Mumbai

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Abstract

Objectives

To determine the proportion of patients with birth defects receiving indoor medical care and the economic burden incurred by the Institution in terms of cost of hospitalization.

Methods

This single center, prospective, observational study recruited children >28 d and <12 y of age with birth defect(s) not attributable to an acquired disease. Demographic data, maternal and antenatal data, nature of the defect and information about current and past hospitalization were recorded. Economic burden was estimated by computing bed charges and daily costs incurred by the Institution.

Results

Ninety-eight children (mean age was 3.18 y, M : F ratio was 2.4:1) with 268 birth defects represented 13 % of indoor admissions. The cardiovascular system was involved in 42.9 %. The defect was isolated in 58.2 % of cases and 41.8 % (9.2 % having Down syndrome) had multiple defects. Mean duration of hospital stay (11.23 d) of the birth defect cohort was significantly more (p value = 0.0005) than other children (7.81 d). Average cost of stay for those with birth defects (18.3 % of the total cost) and other indoor patients was INR 23,481 and INR 16,328 respectively.

Conclusions

Birth defects are an emerging burden in referral centers, incurring one-fifth of the hospital expenditure, partly due to increased length of stay. The figure is an underestimate as the expenses are highly subsidized in a Public health facility.

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Contributions

MM: Conceptualized the study, approved the protocol, analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript; VP: Recorded and analyzed the data and performed literature search. MM will act as guarantor for this paper.

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None.

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None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Genetic Clinic, Department of Pediatrics, Seth GS Medical College & KEM Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, India

    Mamta Muranjan & P. Vijayalakshmi

  2. Flat 301, Suman Apartments, 16-B Naushir Bharucha Road, Tardeo, Mumbai, 400007, India

    Mamta Muranjan

Authors
  1. Mamta Muranjan
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  2. P. Vijayalakshmi
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Correspondence to Mamta Muranjan.

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Muranjan, M., Vijayalakshmi, P. The Unforeseen Toll of Birth Defects and their Economic Burden at a Tertiary Care Public Institute in Mumbai. Indian J Pediatr 81, 1005–1009 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-014-1363-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-014-1363-1

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