Hospital costs for elective endovascular and surgical repairs of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms

PURPOSE: To determine and compare the average in-hospital costs of elective open surgical and endovascular repairs of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneu rysms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total actual cost data for patients undergoing elect ive endovascular (n = 181) or open surgical (n = 273) repair of abdominal a ortic aneurysms between 1997 and 1999 were retrieved. The mean total hospit al cost (including stent-graft costs and excluding attending physician fees ) and mean postoperative length of stay were calculated for each treatment group. Costs were expressed in 1999 U.S. dollars. RESULTS: Endovascular repair yielded a shorter postoperative length of stay than did open surgery (mean stay, 3.4 vs 8.0 days; P < .001) and a lower p roportion of patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit for 1 fu ll day or longer (2.8% vs 36.3%; P < .001). The mean total hospital cost wa s significantly higher for endovascular repair than for open surgery ($20,7 16 vs $18,484; P < .001). CONCLUSION: Hospital costs were higher for endovascular repair than for ope n surgical repair. However, endovascular repair was associated with a decre ased length of stay and fewer intensive care unit admissions. The increased mean hospital cost for endovascular repair was smaller than one would expe ct, considering the higher costs of endovascular grafts, as compared with t hose for surgical grafts (approximately $6,400 according to literature data ).