Resource use and costs of elective surgery for asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysm

Objectives: To determine the hospital costs of elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Design: Observational study of resource use. Materials: Forty-six elective aneurysm surgery patients in a hospital; 116 vascular surgeons participating in the U.K. Small Aneurysm Trial. Methods: Data on resource use and associated costs were obtained in 1993 for 46 patients who had undergone elective surgery in a teaching hospital. Comparability of resource use with other hospitals in the U.K. was obtained from data on surgical patients in the U.K. Small Aneurysm Trial, and by questionnaire on use of resources sent to surgeons participating in the trial. Results: The total cost of an elective aneurysm repair calculated from patient data in the teaching hospital was £4592. One-third of costs were due to stay in a standard surgical ward, and 20% were attributable to the operation. Overall, the use of resources in U.K. hospitals was comparable to that for the teaching hospital. Based on the surgeons' estimates, however, considerable variation existed for typical elective aneurysm patients, with costs ranging from £2173 to £7024. Conclusions: In the U.K. the average cost of an elective aneurysm repair in 1993 was around £4600, which was equivalent to around £5000 (US$8000) in 1996. This estimate is sufficiently reliable to be used in cost effectiveness analyses.