Costs of bleeds relating to acute coronary syndrome therapies

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Health Economics
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients often require antithrombotic therapy, increasing the risk of bleeding complications.
• Bleeding events, such as decreased hemoglobin, puncture site bleeding, and transfusion-requiring bleeding, are significant adverse events in ACS management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the economic burden associated with managing specific bleeding complications in ACS patients.
• To provide data for economic analyses of bleeding events related to antithrombotic therapies in ACS.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart reviews were conducted across five European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden).
• Data collected included length of stay, procedures, transfusion requirements, and patient demographics for ACS patients experiencing specific bleeding events.
• Country-specific costs were applied to calculate average costs per patient for each bleeding type.

Main Results:

• The study analyzed 158 ACS patients with bleeding complications: 26.9% had decreased hemoglobin, 35.5% had puncture site bleeding, and 37.8% required transfusion.
• Average length of stay varied by bleeding type: 10.6 days for decreased hemoglobin, 7.7 days for puncture site bleeding, and 11.3 days for transfusion-requiring bleeding.
• Estimated average costs per patient ranged from €3,986 to €10,252, with significant variation in length of stay across and within countries.

Conclusions:

• The estimated costs provide a valuable resource for economic evaluations of bleeding events in ACS patients.
• Limitations include a small sample size and potential confounding of costs by patient co-morbidities.