[Cost of a coronary transluminal angioplasty compared with a single coronary bypass. Economic effects]

The authors discuss the financial incidence of transluminal coronary angioplasty (TCA) compared to isolated coronary bypass surgery (CBS). The study was limited to 1982 (76 cases of TCA) and compares two groups: successful TCA (17 consecutive cases: group I); isolated CBS (18 cases: group II). The following parameters were studied in each group: average length of hospital study, credits received from the Department of Social Security, hospital expenditure. Hospital expenditure was classified under 6 headings: personnel, material, investigations, drugs, hospital costs and administration costs. The results expressed as the mean per patient were: in group I: hospital stay, 10 days; Social Security reimbursement, 10 813 FF; hospital expenditure, 10 586 FF. In group II: hospital stay, 18 days (including 4 days in the ICU); Social Security reimbursement 46 656 FF; hospital expenditure, 28 955 FF. The hospital costs of personnel were relatively small (especially for TCA). The economies realised by reutilising catheters designed for single usage were significant: the use of guide wires, catheters and balloon catheters falls from 1.64, 1.9 and 0.1 per patient to 0.47, 0.53 and 0.05 respectively, a saving of 5 068 FF per TCA and 385 168 FF per year. Compared to costs in the United States (4 773 and 14 952 dollars) TCA and CBS is much cheaper in France.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)