[What are the direct costs of an abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in a Danish hospital?].
BACKGROUND
The aim of the study was to estimate the direct cost of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair and to validate it against the national Diagnostic Related Group (DRG) costs.


METHODS
Over a three-year period, between January 1996 and December 1998, a total of 100 men were selected at random from a series of 197 patients treated with open surgery for (AAA) at the Department of Vascular Surgery, Viborg Hospital.


RESULTS
The total cost of an AAA operation without complications was estimated to be 70,000 DKK, compared to the DRG price of 79,000 DKK. Complications were significantly more frequent after emergency repair (odds ratio = 4.3 (95% CI; 1.9-10.1)). A statistically significant difference was seen in the cost of AAA repair between elective and emergency operations with rupture (p < 0.05), mainly because of the longer stay in hospital.


CONCLUSIONS
The estimated cost is sufficiently reliable to be used in analysis of cost-effectiveness.
Vammen
S
S
Viborg-Kjellerup Sygehus, karkirurgisk afdeling.
Juul
S
S
Henneberg
E W
EW
Fasting
H
H
Lindholt
J S
JS
D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000191:economics* / Q000601:surgery*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003718:Denmark; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics; D004630:Emergencies; D017721:Hospital Costs; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods