Impact of Atrial Fibrillation on Inpatient Cost for Ischemic Stroke in the USA

BackgroundAtrial fibrillation is a significant risk factor for ischemic stroke and increases cost of treatment.AimsTo estimate the incremental inpatient cost and length of stay due to atrial fibrillation among adults hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of ischemic stroke after controlling for sociodemographic, clinical, and hospital characteristics in a nationally representative discharge record of US population.MethodsHospital discharge records with a primary diagnosis of ischemic stroke were identified from the National Inpatient Sample data for the years 2010–2013. Generalized linear model with log link and least-square means were utilized to estimate the incremental inpatient cost and length of stay in ischemic stroke due to atrial fibrillation after controlling for sociodemographic, clinical, and hospital characteristics.ResultsAmong 434,544 hospital discharge records with a primary diagnosis of ischemic stroke, 90,190 (20.76%) discharge records had a secondary diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. The...