Cost of acute coronary syndrome in Switzerland in 2008.
OBJECTIVE
To perform a cost-of-illness study of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in Switzerland from a societal perspective, evaluating direct costs, production losses and intangible costs in terms of quality adjusted life years (QALYs) lost.


METHODS
A bottom-up incidence-based approach was used. Data concerning patients with one or more ACS events were extracted from a national hospital database and from mortality statistics. Inpatient costs included acute care and rehabilitation. Outpatient costs included costs for ambulance, visits to GP and cardiologist, outpatient diagnostics, medication and rehabilitation. Production losses included absenteeism, permanent disability and premature death. Intangible costs were calculated on previously published QALY weights. Cost data were derived from official price lists, literature and experts. Future costs and QALYs lost were discounted.


RESULTS
In 2008 14,955 patients experienced a total of 16,815 ACS events; 2,752 died as a consequence of these. The resulting 19,064 hospital stays had an average across-hospital length of stay of 9.1 days per patient. Total direct costs of ACS amounted to 630 Mio Swiss Francs (CHF) for society and CHF 462 Mio for health insurers. Total direct costs were dominated by costs of myocardial infarction: ST-elevation 45.8%, non-ST-elevation 35.8%. Production losses were CHF 519 Mio and intangible costs resulted in 49,878 QALYs lost.


CONCLUSIONS
ACS causes considerable costs in terms of direct medical expenditures, lost production, suffering and premature death, even without taking into account costs for its chronic consequences such as congestive heart failure.
Winterthur Institute of Health Economics, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland. simon.wieser@zhaw.ch
Simon
S
Wieser
Isabelle
I
Rüthemann
Sylvia
S
De Boni
Klaus
K
Eichler
Mark
M
Pletscher
Dragana
D
Radovanovic
Tanja
T
Ulle
Holger
H
Auerbach
D000041:Absenteeism; D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000552:Ambulances / Q000191:economics; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D013557:Switzerland; D055815:Young Adult