Cost analysis of a patient blood management program for patients undergoing gastric cancer surgery

Patient Blood Management (PBM) programs have probed to reduce blood transfusions and postoperative complications following gastric cancer resection, but evidence on their economic benefit is scarce. A recent prospective interventional study of our group described a reduction in transfusions, infectious complications and length of stay after implementation of a multicenter PBM program in patients undergoing elective gastric cancer resection with curative intent. The aim of the present study was to analyze the economic impact associated with these clinical benefits. The mean [and 95% CI] of total healthcare cost per patient was lower (-1955 [-3764, -119] €) after the PBM program implementation. The main drivers of this reduction were the hospital stay (-1847 [-3161, -553] €), blood transfusions (-100 [-145, -56] €), and post-operative complications (-162 [-718, 411] €). Total societal cost was reduced by -2243 [-4244, -210] € per patient. These findings highlight the potential economic benefit of PBM strategies.