A Cost Analysis of Regional Versus General Anesthesia for Carotid Endarterectomy

作者:Siu Alan; Patel Jigarkumar; Prentice Heather A; Cappuzzo Justin M; Hashemi Homayoun; Mukherjee Dipankar*
来源:Annals of Vascular Surgery, 2017, 39: 189-194.
DOI:10.1016/j.avsg.2016.05.124

摘要

Background: Medical care in the United States has evolved into a more cost-conscious value-based health care system that necessitates a comparison of costs when there are alternative interventions considered to be acceptable in the treatment of a disease. This study compares the cost differences between regional anesthesia (RA) and general anesthesia (GA) for carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Methods: Data from 346 consecutive patients who underwent CEA between January 2012 and September 2014 were retrospectively reviewed for the type of anesthesia used, outcomes data, and cost variables. Overall hospital day costs were compared between RA and GA. Medians and interquartile ranges were compared using Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. A P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant using 2-sided tests. Results: Median overall costs for GA were significantly higher than median costs for RA (medians [with interquartile ranges], $ 10,140 [$ 7,158-$12,658] versus $ 7,122 [$ 5,072- $8,511], P < 0.001). Median total operative time for GA was significantly longer than median time for RA (168 [144-188] versus 134 [115-147] min, P < 0.001). Median in-hospital length of stay (LOS) for GA was significantly longer compared with RA (2.0 vs 1.2 days, P < 0.001). Patients who received GA were also more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit. Conclusions: Decreased cost, operating room expenses, postoperative resources, and overall LOS were observed for individuals who underwent RA for CEA as compared with GA. In summary, RA is more cost-effective and should be the optimal choice when clinically appropriate.

  • 出版日期2017-2