Clinical and economic impact of infliximab one-hour infusion protocol in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases: A multicenter study

AIM To assess the impact of short infliximab (IFX) infusion on hospital resource utilization and costs. METHODS All inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) patients who received IFX 1 h infusion from March 2007 to September 2014 in eight centers from Southern Italy were included in the analysis. Demographic, clinical and infusion related data were collected. The potential benefits related to the short infusion protocol were assessed both in terms of time saving and increased infusion unit capacity. In addition, indirect patient-related cost savings were evaluated. RESULTS One hundred and twenty-five patients were recruited (64 with ulcerative colitis and 61 with Crohn’s disease). Median duration …