Economic evaluation of different minimally invasive procedures for the treatment of coronary artery disease

Objective: Several different techniques exist within the field of minimally invasive coronary artery surgery. In this study the impact of all these te chniques on the total costs and economics has been evaluated. Methods. Sinc e May 1997, 121 minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB) p rocedures, 125 off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB), ten Port-Access(TM) coronary artery bypass (PA-CABG) and 10 endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting (ENDO-CABG) procedures were performed at our institution. A relati ve cost analysis of the different procedures was carried out in addition to a thorough evaluation done in five patients of each group dividing the cos ts into staff-related costs, material-related costs and general hospital co sts. The costs were set in relation to regular CABG procedures. Results: Sp ecific less invasive coronary artery surgical techniques, such as the MIDCA B or OPCAB technique already are able to reduce the total costs when compar ed to regular CABG procedures. Within the Port-Access (TM) group as well as the ENDO-CABG group, increased material and general costs are present when compared to regular CABG leading to increased total hospital costs for PA- CABG and Endo-CABG in Germany. Conclusion: At present, MIDCAB and OPCAB pro cedures are able to reduce total hospital charges, when compared to regular CABG procedures. Increased costs for Port-Access(TM), as well as Endo-CABG surgeries may be compensated in the future by decreased costs due to a sho rter phase of rehabilitation and faster return to regular professional acti vities. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.