title: Outpatient Treatment of Pneumothorax with a Thoracic Vent: Economic Benefit.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Since rising medical costs currently represent a growing problem worldwide, finding cost-effective treatment options is important. In our hospital, outpatient treatment of pneumothorax using a thoracic vent began in December 2012.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to test our hypothesis that outpatient treatment of pneumothorax with a thoracic vent can reduce medical expenses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were classified into four groups based on treatment: thoracic vent with or without surgery or conventional intercostal chest tube drainage with or without surgery. We compared mean medical expenses, duration of hospitalization and number of physician visits among these four groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During a 2-year period, 65 patients were treated with a thoracic vent (36 patients) or conventional intercostal chest tube drainage (29 patients). Patients treated with a thoracic vent who underwent surgery had a shorter mean duration of hospitalization (5.0 ± 1.3 vs. 10.3 ± 3.4 days; p < 0.0001) and lower overall cost, at JPY 971,830.00 ± 81,291.80 (USD 10,400.40 ± 1,464.90) versus JPY 1,179,791.10 ± 198,383.10 (USD 13,888.90 ± 1,965.30; p < 0.0001) compared with conventional intercostal chest tube drainage. Nonsurgical patients treated with a thoracic vent had lower overall costs, at JPY 79,960.00 ± 25,643.60 (USD 890.10 ± 352.30) versus JPY 268,588.80 ± 94,636.50 (USD 2,932.80 ± 903.50; p < 0.0001) compared with conventional intercostal chest tube drainage. No serious complications were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Outpatient thoracic vent treatment can significantly reduce medical expenses and thereby have a major economic impact.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Chigasaki Municipal Hospital, Chigasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Takehiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sano
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D015505:Chest Tubes; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004322:Drainage / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult