Vascular Health and Risk Management (Jun 2017)
Cost-utility analysis comparing laparoscopic vs open aortobifemoral bypass surgery
Abstract
Anne Helene Krog,1,2 Mehdi Sahba,3 Erik M Pettersen,4 Torbjørn Wisløff,5,6 Jon O Sundhagen,2 Syed SH Kazmi2 1Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 2Department of Vascular Surgery, Division of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Diseases, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, 3Department of Vascular Surgery, Østfold Central Hospital, Kalnes, 4Department of Vascular Surgery, Sørlandet Hospital HF, Kristiansand, 5Department of Health Management and Health Economics, University of Oslo, 6Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway Objectives: Laparoscopic aortobifemoral bypass has become an established treatment option for symptomatic aortoiliac obstructive disease at dedicated centers. Minimally invasive surgical techniques like laparoscopic surgery have often been shown to reduce expenses and increase patients’ health-related quality of life. The main objective of our study was to measure quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and costs after totally laparoscopic and open aortobifemoral bypass. Patients and methods: This was a within trial analysis in a larger ongoing randomized controlled prospective multicenter trial, Norwegian Laparoscopic Aortic Surgery Trial. Fifty consecutive patients suffering from symptomatic aortoiliac occlusive disease suitable for aortobifemoral bypass surgery were randomized to either totally laparoscopic (n=25) or open surgical procedure (n=25). One patient dropped out of the study before surgery. We measured health-related quality of life using the EuroQol (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire at 4 different time points, before surgery and for 6 months during follow-up. We calculated the QALYs gained by using the area under the curve for both groups. Costs were calculated based on prices for surgical equipment, vascular prosthesis and hospital stay. Results: We found a significantly higher increase in QALYs after laparoscopic vs open aortobifemoral bypass surgery, with a difference of 0.07 QALYs, (p=0.001) in favor of laparoscopic aortobifemoral bypass. The total cost of surgery, equipment and hospital stay after laparoscopic surgery (9,953 €) was less than open surgery (17,260 €), (p=0.001). Conclusion: Laparoscopic aortobifemoral bypass seems to be cost-effective compared with open surgery, due to an increase in QALYs and lower procedure-related costs. Keywords: laparoscopy, aortobifemoral bypass, cost-utility, quality-adjusted life years, QALYs, EQ-5D, health-related quality of life, HRQoL, cost-effectiveness
