To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Minimally Invasive Heart Bypass More Cost Effective Than Traditional Surgery URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/33856.htm Doctor's Guide August 1, 1997
PITTSBURGH -- August 1, 1997 -- Minimally invasive heart bypass surgery, called MIDCAB, results in significant cost saving and greater benefits to the patient when compared to traditional bypass surgery, called CABG, according to a study by a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) surgeon in the June supplement of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery. In MIDCAB, surgeons operate on the heart through a single, three-inch incision, making the stressful procedure of cutting through the breastbone unnecessary. They also operate on the blocked artery while the heart continues to beat, unlike CABG in which the patient is put on the heart-lung bypass machine and the heart is stopped. "We found that MIDCAB was associated with significantly reduced hospital resource utilization and morbidity," said Marco Zenati, M.D., cardiothoracic surgeon at the UPMC and principal investigator of the study. "These results are confirmed by our cost analysis showing a significant savings averaging $8,375 for MIDCAB versus traditional bypass surgery." The study compared 17 patients who underwent MIDCAB with 33 patients who had CABG. Hospital cost was calculated starting from the day of operation and ending on the day of discharge. Costs were taken from 10 major cost centers; operating room, perfusion, anesthesia, intensive care unit, laboratory tests, post surgical cardiac unit bed, blood bank, central laboratory, pharmacy and respiratory therapy. The study also found additional benefits to MIDCAB patients. Seven patients in the MIDCAB group had their breathing tube removed in the operating room compared with none in the CABG group. The length of stay in the intensive care unit was also significantly different: 12.3 hours for the MIDCAB patients versus 32.3 hours for the CABG patients. The length of hospital stay from the day of operation to discharge was 2.5 days for the MIDCAB versus 5.9 days for the CABG patients. "Total average cost of MIDCAB surgery was $12,885 compared with $21,260 in the CABG group," Dr. Zenati said. "We observed significant savings for all major cost centers in the MIDCAB group except for pharmacy." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.