A prospective audit of cost of sedation, analgesia and neuromuscular blockade in a large British ICU.
Bottom-up costs of sedative, analgesic and neuromuscular blocking drugs used in the intensive care unit have not been reported. We performed a prospective audit of the cost of these drugs using a bottom-up approach by prospectively recording the daily amount of drugs administered to patients over a 3-month period. Of 172 admissions, complete data were collected for 155 (92%). Propofol and alfentanil were the drugs most commonly used, being administered to 136 (88%) and 106 (68%) patients, respectively. The total cost was 14,070 pounds sterling, which was 81% of the pharmacy figure (based on central purchasing). Ninety-four per cent of the cost was for drugs administered to the 50% of patients who stayed in the intensive care unit longer than 48 h. The median (interquartile range [range]) cost per day was 9.30 pounds sterling (3.60-20.10 [0-61.20]). This represents less than 1% of reported total daily cost of intensive care per patient.
Department of Anaesthesia, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK. malhaddad@doctors.org.uk
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Al-Haddad
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Hayward
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Walsh
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015760:Alfentanil / Q000191:economics; D000700:Analgesics / Q000191:economics*; D016527:Drug Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods; D017721:Hospital Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000191:economics*; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000191:economics*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D009466:Neuromuscular Blocking Agents / Q000191:economics*; D015742:Propofol / Q000191:economics; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012606:Scotland
D000700:Analgesics; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D009466:Neuromuscular Blocking Agents; D015760:Alfentanil; D015742:Propofol