[The costs for different voice prostheses depending on the lifetime].

Area of Science:

• Medical Devices
• Biomedical Engineering
• Otolaryngology

Background:

• Voice prostheses are crucial for restoring speech post-laryngectomy.
• Antifungal voice prostheses are often expensive, raising questions about their value.
• Assessing the cost-effectiveness of different voice prostheses is essential for patient and healthcare provider decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the relationship between the cost and mean lifetime of various voice prostheses.
• To determine which voice prostheses offer the best price-to-lifetime ratio.
• To establish a benchmark for cost-effectiveness in voice prosthesis selection.

Main Methods:

• A benchmarking analysis comparing prosthesis costs and mean lifetimes.
• Inclusion of multiple voice prosthesis models from different manufacturers (Provox 1, Provox 2, Provox Vega, Provox ActiValve, ESKA-Herrmann, Blom Singer Classic, Phonax, Blom Singer Advantage).
• Calculation of the price-to-lifetime ratio for each device.

Main Results:

• The Provox 1 voice prosthesis demonstrated the best price-to-lifetime ratio (1.0).
• Provox 1's ratio was 6.7 times higher than Provox ActiValve (0.15).
• Provox 2 (0.53), Blom Singer Classic (0.54), and ESKA-Herrmann (0.72) also showed favorable ratios compared to Provox 1.

Conclusions:

• The mean lifetime of voice prostheses does not justify their pricing.
• Provox 1 offers superior value and should be considered a reference for pricing other prostheses.
• Cost-effectiveness, rather than just lifespan or antifungal properties, should guide voice prosthesis selection.