title: Cost-effectiveness of general anesthesia vs spinal anesthesia in fast-track abdominal benign hysterectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study objective was to compare total costs for hospital stay and postoperative recovery for 2 groups of women who underwent fast-track abdominal benign hysterectomy: 1 group under general anesthesia; 1 group under spinal anesthesia. Costs were evaluated in relation to health-related quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Costs of treatment were analyzed retrospectively with data from a randomized multicenter study at 5 hospitals in Sweden. Of 180 women who were scheduled for benign abdominal hysterectomy, 162 women were assigned randomly for the study: 80 women allocated to general anesthesia and 82 women to spinal anesthesia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total costs (hospital costs plus cost-reduced productivity costs) were lower for the spinal anesthesia group. Women who had spinal anesthesia had a faster recovery that was measured by health-related quality of life and quality adjusted life-years gained in postoperative month 1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of spinal anesthesia for fast-track benign abdominal hysterectomy was more cost-effective than general anesthesia.
authors.affiliation: Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ninnie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Borendal Wodlin
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carlsson
authors.forename: Preben
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kjølhede
mesh_terms: D000768:Anesthesia, General / Q000191:economics*; D000775:Anesthesia, Spinal / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies