Cost-Effectiveness Research in Anesthesiology

Enhancing Drug Management, Cost Savings, and Staff Satisfaction in Anesthesiology: A Quality Improvement Project in a Chinese Tertiary Hospital

INTRODUCTION

In alignment with China's national directive for improved drug management in anesthesiology, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University initiated a quality improvement project, aiming to tackle the prevailing challenges of inefficiencies in drug administration, escalating drug costs, and the notable communication gap between pharmacists and anesthesiologists.

METHODS

We employed a Plan-Do-Study-Act methodology to establish a pharmacy team and execute a multidimensional pharmaceutical intervention. The interventions included the formulation of standard procedures, guidelines and regulations, assistance from an information system (including automatic dispensing cabinets and prospective prescription review system), communication feedback (via WeChat groups), and education for anesthesiology staff. The intervention spanned from April to September 2023, focusing on optimizing medication management, achieving cost savings, and enhancing the satisfaction of anesthesia team members, with an additional observation from October to December 2023.

RESULTS

Following the interventions, improvements were observed in drug management practices. These enhancements included increased compliance with accounting procedures, more rigorous registration of controlled substances, and more effective disposal of liquid residues. There was no adverse events related to high-alert medications or look-alike drug usage errors. The introduction of automatic dispensing cabinets and a prospective prescription review system markedly improved work efficiency. The utilization of a WeChat group facilitated effective communication about unreasonable prescriptions and drug-related issues. Among the 29,061 patients who underwent surgery both before and after the interventions, significant reductions were observed both in the drug proportion and the per capita drug costs (P = 0.03, P = 0.014, respectively). The per capita drug cost decreased by 20.82%, from ¥723.43 to ¥572.78, consistently remaining below ¥600 throughout the 9-month observation period. The per capita cost of monitoring drugs including dezocine, butorphanol, haemocoagulase agkistrodon, penehyclidine, and ulinastatin experienced a significant reduction (P < 0.05). Additionally, in the satisfaction questionnaires returned, a remarkable 94.44% of anesthesiology staff expressed high satisfaction with the comprehensive pharmaceutical interventions.

CONCLUSION

The quality improvement project has yielded remarkable positive outcomes, serving as a model worthy of reference and replication in similar healthcare settings.

Trends of liposomal bupivacaine utilization in major lower extremity total joint arthroplasty in the USA: a population-based study

INTRODUCTION

Liposomal bupivacaine has been marketed for the achievement of long-acting local or regional anesthesia after major lower extremity total joint arthroplasty. However, it is comparatively expensive and controversy remains regarding its ability to decrease healthcare costs. With mounting evidence suggesting non-superiority in efficacy, compared with plain bupivacaine, we sought to investigate trends in liposomal bupivacaine use and identify changes in practice.

METHODS

We identified adult patients from the Premier Healthcare Database who underwent elective total joint arthroplasty between 2012 and 2021. Prevalence and trends of liposomal bupivacaine utilization were compared on the individual patient and hospital levels. Log-rank tests were performed to assess the influence of location, teaching status, or hospital size on time to hospital-level liposomal bupivacaine termination.

RESULTS

Among 103,165 total joint arthroplasty cases, liposomal bupivacaine use increased between 2012 and 2015 (from 0.4% to 22.8%) and decreased by approximately 1%-3% annually thereafter (15.7% in 2021). Liposomal bupivacaine was ever used in approximately 60% of hospitals. Hospital-level initiation of liposomal bupivacaine use peaked in 2014 and decreased thereafter (from 32.8% in 2013 to 4.3% in 2021), while termination rates increased (from 1.4% in 2014 to 9.9% in 2019). Non-teaching hospitals and those located in the South and West regions were more likely to retain liposomal bupivacaine longer than teaching or Midwest/Northeast hospitals, respectively (p=0.023 and p=0.014).

DISCUSSION

Liposomal bupivacaine use peaked around 2015 and has been declining thereafter on individual patient and hospital levels. How these trends correlate with health outcomes and expenditures would be a strategic target for future research.

The Cost-Effectiveness of Early High-Acuity Postoperative Care for Medium-Risk Surgical Patients

BACKGROUND

Initiatives in perioperative care warrant robust cost-effectiveness analysis in a cost-constrained era when high-value care is a priority. A model of anesthesia-led early high-acuity postoperative care, advanced recovery room care (ARRC), has shown benefit in terms of hospital and patient outcomes, but its cost-effectiveness has not yet been formally determined.

METHODS

Data from a previously published single-center prospective cohort study of ARRC in medium-risk patients were used to generate a Markov model, which described patient transition between care locations, each with different characteristics and costs. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), using days at home (DAH) and hospital costs, was calculated for ARRC compared to usual ward care using deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis.

RESULTS

The Markov model accurately described patient disposition after surgery. For each patient, ARRC provided 4.3 more DAH within the first 90 days after surgery and decreased overall hospital costs by $1081 per patient. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis revealed that ARRC had a 99.3% probability of increased DAH and a 77.4% probability that ARRC was dominant from the perspective of the hospital, with improved outcomes and decreased costs.

CONCLUSIONS

Early high-acuity care for approximately 24 hours after surgery in medium-risk patients provides highly cost-effective improvements in outcomes when compared to usual ward care.

Cost-Effectiveness of Propofol (Diprivan) Versus Inhalational Anesthetics to Maintain General Anesthesia in Noncardiac Surgery in the United States

OBJECTIVES

It is not known whether using propofol total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) to reduce incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is cost-effective. We assessed the economic impact of propofol TIVA versus inhalational anesthesia in adult patients for ambulatory and inpatient procedures relevant to the US healthcare system.

METHODS

Two models simulate individual patient pathways through inpatient and ambulatory surgery with propofol TIVA or inhalational anesthesia with economic inputs from studies on adult surgical US patients. Efficacy inputs were obtained from a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Probabilistic and deterministic sensitivity analyses assessed the robustness of the model estimates.

RESULTS

Lower PONV rate, shorter stay in the post-anesthesia care unit, and reduced need for rescue antiemetics offset the higher costs for anesthetics, analgesics, and muscle relaxants with propofol TIVA and reduced cost by 11.41 ± 10.73 USD per patient in the inpatient model and 11.25 ± 9.81 USD in the ambulatory patient model. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated strong robustness of the results.

CONCLUSIONS

Maintenance of general anesthesia with propofol was cost-saving compared to inhalational anesthesia in both inpatient and ambulatory surgical settings in the United States. These economic results support current guideline recommendations, which endorse propofol TIVA to reduce PONV risk and enhance postoperative recovery.

Use of Spinal Anesthesia in Pediatric Laparoscopic Appendectomies: Case Series

BACKGROUND

Owing to the widespread use of general anesthesia, administration of spinal anesthesia in pediatric patients is not widely practiced. Yet there is ample positive evidence demonstrating its safety, effectiveness, and success.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to compare postoperative patient comfort, length of hospital stay, and cost-effectiveness of pediatric laparoscopic appendectomies performed under spinal and general anesthesia with the usual standard-of-care procedures employed in the hospital.

METHODS

This is a case series of 77 consecutive pediatric laparoscopic appendectomies (involving 5-8-year-old children) that took place in a hospital in Chittagong, Bangladesh, in 2019. A total of 40 patients underwent spinal anesthesia and 37 patients underwent general anesthesia. Variables such as surgery and operation theater times, pain score, incidence of postsurgery vomiting, analgesic usage, discharge times, and hospital costs were recorded. Statistical analysis was used to analyze the data as a function of anesthesia type.

RESULTS

The probability of vomiting when using spinal compared to general anesthesia was lower within the first 5 hours (P<.001) and 6 hours (P=.008) postoperation. A significant difference (P<.001) was observed between the total costs of the two procedures, with spinal anesthesia being less expensive. Patients were more likely to be discharged the same day of the procedure when spinal anesthesia was used (P=.008).

CONCLUSIONS

Spinal anesthesia has many advantages compared to general anesthesia for pediatric laparoscopic appendectomies. Patient comfort is improved due to a significant decrease in vomiting. This allows for more rapid hospital discharges and substantial cost savings, without compromising the outcome of the procedure.

The effect of pre-operative autologous blood donation on bone marrow hematopoietic functions in rabbits after hepatectomy

BACKGROUND

Pre-operative autologous blood donation (PABD) is one of the most widely distributed autologous blood donation means, which has positive effect on erythropoiesis. However, whether PABD can stimulate the bone marrow hematopoiesis after hepatectomy have not been reported.

METHODS

Totally 80 New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into 4 groups that included control group, surgery group, hemodilutional autotransfusion (HA) group and PABD group. Automatic reticulocyte examination was performed to detect the content of reticulocyte and immature reticulocyte fractions (IRF). Flow cytometric analysis was employed to monitor the level of CD34+ cells and the cell cycle status. Southern blotting was conducted to determine the telomere length of CD34+ cells.

RESULTS

The content of high fluorescence reticulocytes (HFR) and IRF was decreased at 6 h and 24 h after autotransfusion. However, the level of CD34+ cells was upregulated after PABD. Cell cycle status analysis revealed that majority of the CD34+ cells in HA and PABD group were maintained in G0/G1 phase. The telomere length in HA and PABD group was shorten than that of control group and surgery group.

CONCLUSION

PABD could promote the bone marrow hematopoietic functions in rabbits after hepatectomy via stimulating proliferation of CD34+ cells and shortening the telomere length of CD34+ cells, but the content of HFR was not increased immediately because of the stuck of CD34+ cells in G0/G1 phase.

Non-Operating Room Anesthesia: Patient Selection and Special Considerations

Non-operating room anesthesia (NORA) represents a growing field of medicine with an increasing trend in the number of cases performed over the previous decade. As a result, anesthesia providers will need to enhance their familiarity with the resources, personnel, and environment outside of the operating room. Anesthesia delivery in NORA settings should be held with the same high-quality standards as that within the operating room. This review looks at special considerations in patient selection and the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative periods. In addition, there is a discussion on the unique aspects of specific NORA areas and the considerations that come with them.