Heroin also produces profound degrees of tolerance and physical dependence. Tolerance occurs when more and more of the drug is required to achieve the same effects. With physical dependence, the body adapts to the presence of the drug and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced abruptly. Withdrawal may occur within a few hours after the last time the drug is taken. Symptoms of withdrawal include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps (âcold turkeyâ), and leg movements.
1. Congestive heart failure (Statistical Brief #142, 2009 data) â The mean cost per CHF readmission is $13,000, with a 25.1 percent readmission rate. This is 118 percent the cost of an initial admission for CHF, which costs $11,000 on average.
Approximately 30 to 40 percent of patients with heart failure are readmitted within six months of hospitalization. Studies have concluded that readmissions for heart failure could be prevented in at least 40 percent of cases.5 Unnecessary readmissions contribute significantly to the cost of this disease. Unfortunately, the prevalence of heart failure continues to rise and has resulted in an annual expenditure of $10 billion for diagnosis and treatment. 3 The average hospital stay for treatment of this disease is nine days, 4 and the overall five-year mortality rate is 50 percent.