Comparison of outcomes and cost-effectiveness of laparoscopic and open appendectomies in public health services

Acute appendicitis is the leading cause of abdominal emergency surgery worldwide and appendectomy continues to be the definitive treatment of choice. This cost-effectiveness analysis evaluates laparoscopic versus open appendectomies performed in public health services in the state of Bahia (Brazil). We conducted a retrospective observational study using the database from the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System (DATASUS). Available data on appendectomies between 2008 and 2019 were included, and we evaluated the temporal trend of hospital admissions, procedure-related mortality rates, length of stay, and costs. Statistical analysis was performed using the R-software (R Foundation, v.4.0.3) and the BioEstat software (IMDS, v. 5.3), considering p<0.05 as significant. During 2008-2019, 53,024 appendectomies were performed in the public health services in Bahia, of which 94.9% were open surgeries. The open technique was associated with a higher mortality rate (4.9/1,000 procedures; p<0.05) and a higher risk of death (RR=4.5; p<0.05) compared to laparoscopy (1.1/1,000 procedures). Laparoscopic appendectomy (median of 2.7 days) had a shorter length of stay compared to laparotomy (median of 4.15 days) (p<0.05). There was no difference in the medians of costs nor hospital services, per procedure (p=0.08 and p=0.08, respectively). Laparoscopic professional median costs were higher by US$ 1.39 (p<0.05). Minimally invasive surgery for appendicitis is a safe and efficacious procedure in Brazilian public health care services, as it provides advantages over the open method (including lower procedure-related mortality rate and earlier discharges), and it did not imply higher expenses for public service budgets in the state of Bahia.