title: Cost analysis of fresh-frozen femoral head allografts: is it worthwhile to run a bone bank?
abstract: To assess the sustainability of our institutional bone bank, we calculated the final product cost of fresh-frozen femoral head allografts and compared these costs with the use of commercial alternatives. Between 2007 and 2010 all quantifiable costs associated with allograft donor screening, harvesting, storage, and administration of femoral head allografts retrieved from patients undergoing elective hip replacement were analysed. From 290 femoral head allografts harvested and stored as full (complete) head specimens or as two halves, 101 had to be withdrawn. In total, 104 full and 75 half heads were implanted in 152 recipients. The calculated final product costs were €1367 per full head. Compared with the use of commercially available processed allografts, a saving of at least €43 119 was realised over four-years (€10 780 per year) resulting in a cost-effective intervention at our institution. Assuming a price of between €1672 and €2149 per commercially purchased allograft, breakeven analysis revealed that implanting between 34 and 63 allografts per year equated to the total cost of bone banking.
authors.affiliation: Balgrist University Hospital, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Zurich, Forchstrasse 340, 8008 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Benninger
authors.affiliation: Balgrist University Hospital, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Zurich, Forchstrasse 340, 8008 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: P O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Zingg
authors.affiliation: Pennsylvania Hospital , Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 800 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, 19107, USA.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Kamath
authors.affiliation: Balgrist University Hospital, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Zurich, Forchstrasse 340, 8008 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dora
mesh_terms: D064591:Allografts; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D018586:Bone Banks / Q000191:economics*; D018786:Bone Substitutes / Q000191:economics*; D016025:Bone Transplantation / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005270:Femur Head / Q000637:transplantation*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015207:Osteoarthritis, Hip / Q000191:economics / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000191:economics*
chemical_list: D018786:Bone Substitutes
keywords: Bone bank; Fresh-frozen allograft