Background: The cost of treatment for infectious shock in intensive care in Vietnam is unknown.
Methods: We prospectively investigated hospital bills for adults treated for septic and dengue shock in Vietnam and calculated the proportion who faced catastrophic health care expenditures.
Results: The median hospital bills were US$617 for septic shock (n=100) and US$57 for dengue shock (n=88). Catastrophic payments were incurred by 47% (47/100) and 13% (11/88) of patients with septic shock and dengue shock, respectively, and 56% (25/45) and 84% (5/6) fatal cases of septic shock and dengue shock respectively.
Conclusions: Further advocacy is required to moderate insurance co-payments for costly critical care interventions.
Keywords: cost of illness; septic, severe dengue; shock.
© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.