1. Impact of Early Cholecystectomy on the Cost of Treating Mild Gallstone Pancreatitis: Gallstone PANC Trial.
- Author
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Isbell KD, Wei S, Dodwad SM, Avritscher EB, Mueck KM, Bernardi K, Hatton GE, Liang MK, Ko TC, and Kao LS
- Subjects
- Adult, Cholecystectomy adverse effects, Cholecystectomy economics, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Female, Gallstones complications, Gallstones diagnosis, Gallstones economics, Health Care Costs statistics & numerical data, Humans, Length of Stay economics, Length of Stay statistics & numerical data, Male, Middle Aged, Pancreatitis diagnosis, Pancreatitis economics, Pancreatitis etiology, Postoperative Complications economics, Postoperative Complications etiology, Severity of Illness Index, Time Factors, Time-to-Treatment economics, Cholecystectomy statistics & numerical data, Gallstones surgery, Pancreatitis surgery, Postoperative Complications epidemiology, Time-to-Treatment statistics & numerical data
- Abstract
Background: The Gallstone Pancreatitis: Admission vs Normal Cholecystectomy (Gallstone PANC) Trial demonstrated that cholecystectomy within 24 hours of admission (early) compared with after clinical resolution (control) for mild gallstone pancreatitis, significantly reduced 30-day length-of-stay (LOS) without increasing major postoperative complications. We assessed whether early cholecystectomy decreased 90-day healthcare use and costs., Study Design: A secondary economic evaluation of the Gallstone PANC Trial was performed from the healthcare system perspective. Costs for index admissions and all gallstone pancreatitis-related care 90 days post-discharge were obtained from the hospital accounting system and inflated to 2020 USD. Negative binomial regression models and generalized linear models with log-link and gamma distribution, adjusting for randomization strata, were used. Bayesian analysis with neutral prior was used to estimate the probability of cost reduction with early cholecystectomy., Results: Of 98 randomized patients, 97 were included in the analyses. Baseline characteristics were similar in early (n = 49) and control (n = 48) groups. Early cholecystectomy resulted in a mean absolute difference in LOS of -0.96 days (95% CI, -1.91 to 0.00, p = 0.05). Ninety-day mean total costs were $14,974 (early) vs $16,190 (control) (cost ratio [CR], 0.92; 95% CI, 0.73-1.15, p = 0.47), with a mean absolute difference of $1,216 less (95% CI, -$4,782 to $2,349, p = 0.50) per patient in the early group. On Bayesian analysis, there was an 81% posterior probability that early cholecystectomy reduced 90-day total costs., Conclusion: In this single-center trial, early cholecystectomy for mild gallstone pancreatitis reduced 90-day LOS and had an 81% probability of reducing 90-day healthcare system costs., (Copyright © 2021 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2021
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