Objective: To determine risk factors and outcomes associated with a foreign body left during a procedure in a population of pediatric surgical patients.
Design: Case-control study.
Setting: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample and Kids' Inpatient Database were used to identify hospitalized pediatric surgical patients in the United States (aged 0-18 years) from 1988 to 2005.
Patients: After data from 1 946 831 hospitalizations in children were linked to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Pediatric Quality Indicator (PDI) software, 413 pediatric patients with foreign bodies left during a procedure (PDI 3) were identified. A 1:3 matched case-control design was implemented with 413 cases and 1227 controls. Cases and controls were stratified into procedure categories based on diagnosis related group procedure codes.
Main outcome measures: To examine the relationship between PDI 3 and procedure category, as well as the outcomes of in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and total hospital charges.
Results: Logistic regression analysis revealed a statistically significant higher odds of PDI 3 in the gynecology procedure category (odds ratio, 4.13; P = .01). Multivariable regression analysis revealed that patients with PDI 3 had an 8-day longer length of stay (95% confidence interval, 5.6-10.3 days; P < .001) and $35 681 higher total hospital charges (95% confidence interval, $22 358-$49 004; P < .001) but were not more likely to die (odds ratio, 1.07; P = .92).
Conclusions: Among pediatric surgical admissions, a foreign body left during a procedure was observed to occur with highest likelihood during gynecologic operations. The occurrence of this adverse event was associated with longer length of stay and greater total hospital charges, but not with increased mortality.