LIFETIME COSTS OF LUNG TRANSPLANTATION - ESTIMATION OF INCREMENTAL COSTS

Despite an expanding number of centres which provide lung transplantat ion, information about the incremental costs of lung transplantation i s scarce. From 1991 until 1995, in The Netherlands a technology assess ment was performed which provided information about the incremental co sts of lung transplantation. Costs in the situation with and without a transplantation programme were compared from a Lifetime perspective. Because randomization was ethically inadmissible, only costs in the si tuation with the programme were observed. Both conventional treatment costs and costs of the transplantation programme were registered. Cost s in the situation without the programme were based on the conventiona l treatment costs in the situation with the programme. Due to the stud y period of four years, long term follow-up costs were estimated. The total incremental costs per transplanted patient were estimated at Dfl 466 767 (5% discounted costs). The main part of these costs was cause d by the high costs during the Lifetime follow-up of the patients. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.