title: Applying principles of pharmacoeconomic evaluation to perflenapent emulsion, a new echocardiographic contrast agent for use in cardiac function testing.
abstract: A pharmacoeconomic evaluation was performed to determine the cost-effectiveness of perflenapent emulsion, a new contrast agent for use in echocardiography. A decision tree analysis was performed on data from the charts of 108 patients who had undergone stress echocardiography without contrast enhancement as part of a cardiac function or wall-motion study. An analysis of a theoretical cohort of patients was conducted to determine shifts in cost associated with enhancement of stress echocardiography with perflenapent emulsion. Outcome was determined by the point at which the clinician was able to determine a treatment course for the patient based on the diagnostic information given. Stress echocardiography without contrast was identified as the most cost-effective path in terms of a conclusive test. Perflenapent emulsion shows a positive cost impact in patients who have had an inconclusive stress echocardiogram without the use of a contrast agent. These results are supported by a sensitivity analysis across a wide range of pricing for perflenapent emulsion, a wide range of cost for a stress echocardiogram, and up to 99% efficacy of contrast-enhanced stress echocardiography.
authors.affiliation: Riverside Methodist Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wellman
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sherrin
mesh_terms: D003287:Contrast Media / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003663:Decision Trees; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000191:economics*; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000191:economics*; D006334:Heart Function Tests / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D010420:Pentanes
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D005466:Fluorocarbons; C008806:perfluoropentane; D010420:Pentanes