The cost of renal transplants

Patient records were examined for the 12 months immediately following a renal transplantation in 29 patients admitted to the department of nephrology of the Christchurch Hospital. Data were collected on their use of health care facilities and resources during the period including details of inpatient stays, outpatient visits, dialysis, drugs and diagnostic procedures. From this information estimates were made of the average cost of the treatment and the total annual cost of renal transplantation in New Zealand. The average cost of treatment during the first year following renal transplantation was estimated to be +16,717. For the country as a whole it was estimated that the annual cost of first year renal transplant therapy was +1,270,492 in 1986 prices.