USE OF A COLLAGEN HEMOSTATIC CLOSURE DEVICE TO ACHIEVE HEMOSTASIS AFTER ARTERIAL PUNCTURE - A COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether a collagen hemostatic closure device is a safe, cost-effective alternative to manual compression for achieving hemostasis at arterial puncture sites. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cost-e ffectiveness analysis, based on a meta-analysis of published data, was performed from the perspective of the health-care system. The gain in effectiveness was expressed as the decrease in rate of puncture-site complications that required treatment,.Costs associated with achieving hemostasis and treating complications were included. RESULTS: Use of a collagen closure device decreased the number of puncture-site compli cations from 31:1,000 to 16:1,000. The average cost of using the devic e was $177 per patient compared with $42 per patient for manual compre ssion. The incremental cost of averting one complication exceeded $9,0 00. CONCLUSION: Use of a collagen closure device to achieve hemostasis after an arterial puncture may reduce the complication rate, but the additional cost per complication averted is very high.