PUI saves costs
Russia & Netherlands - Immediate echocardiographic assessment during consultation rounds can lead to significant cost savings and can shorten the time to diagnosis, according to a new study carried out by teams at the Dept. of Cardiology, Thoraxcentre, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam and the Dept. of Internal Diseases, Medical Academy of Nizhny, Novgorod.
To assess the clinical utility and cost effectiveness of a personal ultrasound imager (PUI) during consultation rounds to evaluate patients with suspected cardiac disease, the teams enrolled 107 unselected patients from non-cardiac departments (55% men). After a physical examination, the consultant cardiologist used the PUI to obtain an echocardiograph of each patient, and the final report was passed on immediately to the referring physician.
Subsequently, all patients were checked with a standard echocardiographic device (SED), and in each case the consultant noted whether the PUI findings had been sufficient for a final diagnosis. The time from request to diagnosis was also compared for each method.
In 84 (78.5%) patients no further examination with an SED was considered necessary. 23 patients (21.5%) needed a further detailed SED examination to obtain haemodynamic information.
Both devices produced excellent detection of abnormalities (96%). Use of the SED per patient cost €132; PUI per patient cost €75 - showing a 33.4% reduction in total cost. Diagnosis times: SED = 4 days, PUI = immediate.
Source: Heart 2003;89:727-730 Details: j.r.t.c.roelandt@erasmusmc.nl
01.07.2003
