Cost-effectiveness of bypass surgery versus stenting in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease☆
Received 1 November 2002; accepted 27 February 2003.
Abstract
Purpose
To compare the cost-effectiveness of surgical and angioplasty-based coronary artery revascularization techniques, in particular, angioplasty with primary stenting.
Methods
We used data from the Study of Economics and Quality of Life, a substudy of the Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation (BARI), to measure the outcomes and costs of angioplasty and bypass surgery in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease who had not undergone prior coronary artery revascularization. Using a Markov decision model, we updated the outcomes and costs to reflect technology changes since the time of enrollment in BARI, and projected the lifetime costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) for the two procedures from the time of initial treatment through death. We accounted for the effects of improved procedural safety and efficiency, and prolonged therapeutic effects of both surgery and stenting. This study was conducted from a societal perspective.
Results
Surgical revascularization was less costly and resulted in better outcomes than catheter-based intervention including stenting. It remained the preferred strategy after adjusting the stent outcomes to eliminate the costs and events associated with target lesion restenosis. Among angioplasty-based strategies, primary stent use cost an additional $189,000 per QALY gained compared with a strategy that reserved stent use for treatment of suboptimal balloon angioplasty results.
Conclusion
Bypass surgery results in better outcomes than angioplasty in patients with multivessel disease, and at a lower cost.
aCenter for Primary Care and Outcomes Research (CAY, DKO, AMG), Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
bDepartment of Health Research and Policy (DBB, DKO, AMG, MAH), Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
cVeterans’ Administration Health Care System (DKO, AMG), Palo Alto, California, USA
Requests for reprints should be addressed to Mark A. Hlatky, MD, Stanford University School of Medicine, HRP Redwood Building, Room 150, Stanford, California 94305-5405, USA
☆ Supported by Grant 15151 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton, New Jersey, and by Grant HL-58324 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland.
ABSTRACT
