Cost comparison of kidney transplant versus dialysis in Brazil

This study aimed to compare the direct medical costs of renal transplantation and renal replacement therapies, specifically hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, from the perspective of the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS). Renal replacement therapies costs were based on data published in the literature. Cost items for kidney transplant were identified in a private hospital based on procedure codes used for charging the SUS, and other items were taken from the literature. In the four years covered by the study, cadaver kidney transplant generated per-patient savings of BRL 37,000 and BRL 74,000 compared to hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, respectively. Savings were even greater with living donor kidney transplant: BRL 46,000 and BRL 82,000 compared to hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, respectively. This result, together with survival and quality-of-life analyses, characterizes kidney transplant as the best clinical and financial alternative, thus supporting public policies for organ transplants in Brazil.