OBJECTIVE To analyze the ranking of direct economic losses due to postoperative hospital-associated infections in patients undergoing surgical excisions for common tumors.

METHODS Totally 12, 010 tumor patients who were treated in Jiangxi Cancer Hospital from Jan. 2019 to Dec. 2021 were recruited as the research subjects. The differences in covariates including the population, type of tumor and diagnosis and treatment of tumor without infection between the infection group and the non-infection group were balanced by 1∶1 propensity score matching (PSM). The length of hospital stay and hospitalization costs were observed and compared between the two groups of patients.

RESULTS Totally 806 pairs of research subjects were matched, covering 10 sites of tumors (lung, stomach, colon, liver, breast, esophagus, thyroid, cervix, uterine body and brain). In the infection group, the patients with lower respiratory tract infections accounted for 60.52%, the patients with surgical site infections accounted for 27.19%, and the patients with other sites of infections accounted for 12.29%. As compared with the non-infection group, the average length of hospital stay of the infection group was extended by 4 days, and the total hospitalization cost was increased by 9068.99 yuan. Among all the expenses, western medicine cost, general treatment operation cost, cost of disposable materials for treatment, cost of laboratory test and nursing cost ranked the top 5 economic losses, and there were significant differences between the two groups(P < 0.05). With the respect to different types of tumors, brain tumors, esophageal tumors, gastric tumors, colorectal tumors and cervical tumors ranked the top 5 economic losses.

CONCLUSIONS The tumor patients under going surgical excisions are at high risk of postoperative hospital-associated infections, which may result in economic losses. It is necessary to focus on the prevention and control of lower respiratory tract infections and SSI.