1683 - Hospital Admission Patterns in Adult Patients with Complicated Urinary Tract Infections (cUTIs): Identification of Potentially Avoidable Hospital Admissions Across United States (US) Hospitals

Background: There is an increase in hospital admissions for cUTI in the US despite apparent reductions in the severity of admissions. However, there are scant data on cUTI hospital admission rates from the emergency department (ED) stratified by age, infection severity, and presence of comorbidities. This study described US hospitalization patterns among adults who present to the ED with a cUTI.  We sought to quantify the proportion of admissions that were potentially avoidable based on presence of sepsis and associated symtpoms as well as Charlston Comorbidity Index (CCI) scores.

Methods: A retrospective multi-center study using data from the Premier Healthcare Database (2013-18) was performed. Inclusion criteria: (1) age ≥ 18 years, (2) primary cUTI ED/inpatient discharge diagnosis, (3) positive blood or urine culture between index ED service days -5 to +2.  Transfers from acute care facilities were excluded. Based on ICD-9/10 diagnosis codes present on admission, incidence of hospital admissions were stratified by age (≥ 65 years vs. < 65 years), presence of sepsis (S), sepsis symptoms but no sepsis codes (SS) (e.g., fever, tachycardia, tachypnea, leukocytosis, etc.), and CCI.

Results: 187,789 patients met inclusion criteria. The mean (SD) age was 59.7 (21.9), 40.4% were male, 29.4% had sepsis, 16.7% had at least 1 SS symptom (but no S), and 53.9% had no evidence of S or SS.  The median [IQR] CCI was 1 [0, 3]. 119,668 out of 187,789 (63.7%) were admitted to hospital.  Among inpatients, median [IQR] length of stay (LOS) and total costs were 5 [3, 7] days and $7,956 [$4,834, $13,960] USD. Incidence of hospital admissions by age, presence of S/SS, and CCI score are shown in the Table. 18.9% of admissions (22,644/119,668) occurred in patients with no S/SS and a CCI ≤ 2. Their median [IQR] LOS and total costs were 3 [2, 5] days and $5,575 [$3,607, $9,133].Incidence of Hospital Admission by Age, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), Presence of Sepsis (S), and Presence of Sepsis Symptoms (SS)


Conclusion: Nearly 1 in 5 cUTI hospital admissions may be avoidable. Given the resources associated with the management of inpatients with cUTIs, these findings highlight the critical need for healthcare systems to develop well-defined criteria for hospital admission based on presence of comorbid conditions and infection severity. Preventing avoidable hospital admissions has the potential to save the healthcare system substantial costs.