Postoperative Costs Associated With Outcomes After Cardiac Surgery With Extracorporeal Circulation: Role of Antithrombin Levels

2012

Objective: To study the impact on postoperative costs of a patient's antithrombin levels associated with outcomes after cardiac surgery with extracorporeal circulation. Design: An analytic decision model was designed to estimate costs and clinical outcomes after cardiac surgery in a typical patient with low antithrombin levels (= 63.7%). The data used in the model were obtained from a literature review and subsequently validated by a panel of experts in cardiothoracic anesthesiology. Setting: Multi-institutional (14 Spanish hospitals). Participants: Consultant anesthesiologists. Measurements and Main Results: A sensitivity analysis of extreme scenarios was carried out to assess the impact o…