Factors Associated with the Treatment Costs within the First Year after Pacemaker Implantation or Pulse Generator...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Health Economics
• Public Health

Background:

• The increasing elderly population drives a steady rise in artificial cardiac pacemaker usage.
• Understanding the economic implications of pacemaker procedures is crucial for healthcare system management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate hospital readmission and complication rates following pacemaker implantation or pulse generator replacement.
• To assess the financial impact of these events on annual treatment costs within the Unified Health System (SUS).

Main Methods:

• A prospective registry collected clinical practice data during initial hospitalization and the first year post-procedure.
• Costs were estimated based on SUS reimbursement values and analyzed at the patient level.
• Generalized linear models identified factors influencing total annual treatment costs (significance level: 5%).

Main Results:

• 1,223 patients (634 initial implants, 589 replacements) were analyzed.
• Complications occurred in 5.1% of patients (70 episodes).
• One-year hospital readmission rates were 16.4% for initial implants and 10.6% for replacements.
• Chronic kidney disease, stroke history, prolonged hospital stays, intensive care needs, complications, and readmissions significantly impacted annual costs.

Conclusions:

• Age, comorbidities, postoperative complications, and hospital readmissions are key drivers of increased annual treatment costs for pacemaker patients.
• These findings underscore the importance of managing patient factors to optimize healthcare resource allocation for pacemaker care.