Impact of urinary tract infection on inpatient healthcare for congenital obstructive uropathy

Abstract Purpose Congenital obstructive uropathy (COU) is a leading cause of pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD). Urinary tract infections (UTIs) pose a risk for ascending infections and CKD in patients with COU. We evaluated the impact of comorbid UTIs on hospital charges and length of stay (LOS) for pediatric COU discharges. Materials and methods The study sample ( n  = 2832) was drawn from the 2003 and 2006 US Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids’ Inpatient Database. Data were analyzed using logistic and linear regression. Results Comorbid UTIs complicated 6.7% of COU discharges, and were most common in patients with posterior urethral valves (15.7% of discharges). Comorbid UTIs increased mean charges by $7910 (95% confidence interval (CI) $4770–$11,040; p p Conclusions Comorbid UTIs contribute significantly to inpatient charges for COU, by prolonging LOS.