Cost estimations
COMPLICATIONS
The costs of VATS and thoracotomy were estimated for each patient for the 30 first days and the 3 first months after surgery. Costs were estimated from the hospital perspective given the available data on resources consumed (hospital stays). They included: (i) the production costs of the initial stays (including surgery); (ii) the production costs of all re-hospitalisations related to post-surgical complications; and (iii) the production costs of all admissions to rehabilitation care.In the first step, diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) corresponding to all patient stays were identified in accordance with the rules for the classification of stays in France. Thus, the DRG for each initial stay and each re-hospitalisation for complications were assigned according to comorbidities, the reason for admission, the complications arising during the stay (and possible re-intervention), and length of stay (LOS). DRGs for stays in rehabilitation care were assigned using patient comorbidities, the reason for admission, the patient’s age, and time between the date of surgery and admission to rehabilitation care.In the second step, a production cost was applied to each stay from the Especially for initial stays (including surgery), using the ‘