Changing patterns in volatile anaesthetic agent consumption over seven years in Victorian public hospitals

Evidence-based choices of volatile agents can increase health cost efficiencies. In this pharmaco-economic study, we evaluated the trends and costs of volatile agent use in Australian public hospitals. The total number of volatile agent (isoflurane, sevoflurane and desflurane) bottles ordered and inflation-adjusted costs were collected from 65 Victorian public hospitals from 2005 to 2011. Environmental costs were measured through the 100-year global warming potential index as carbon dioxide equivalents. During this time period, the aggregate inflation-adjusted expenditure was $39,209,878. Time series analysis showed that bottles of isoflurane ordered decreased by 419/year (99% confidence interval (CI): -603 to -235); costs decreased by $56,017/year (99% CI: -$93,243 to -$18,791). Bottles of sevoflurane increased by 1,330/year (99% CI: 1141 to 1,519); costs decreased by $423,3573/year (99% CI: -$720,030 to -112,783). Bottles of desflurane increased by 726/year (99% CI: 288 to 1,164); costs increased by $171,578/year (99% CI: $136,951 to $206,205). The amount of calculated greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere over this period was 37,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, with isoflurane contributing 6%, sevoflurane 17%, and desflurane 77% of this total. In conclusion, isoflurane is no longer being used in the majority of Victorian public hospitals, with sevoflurane and desflurane remaining as the primary volatile agents, utilised respectively at a ratio of 2.2 to 1, and costs at 0.8 to 1.