PCV66 ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF DABIGATRAN ETEXILATE FOR PRIMARY VTE PREVENTION FOLLOWING TOTAL HIP AND KNEE REPLACEMENT SURGERY IN ITALY

Thromboembolic events (VTE) represent a quite common and dangerous complication of major orthopedic surgery, especially in total hip replacement (THR) and total knee replacement (TKR) procedures. In the last years, thromboprophylaxis with low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) has become the standard approach for the prevention of these events, although the optimal duration of the prophylaxis is still under debate. Dabigatran etexilate (DBG) , a direct and reversible thrombin inhibitor, has proven its non-inferiority with respect to enoxaparin, a LMWH, in the prevention of VTE in patients undergoing THR and TKR, in the RE-NOVATE [1] and RE- MODEL trials [2], respectively. The objective of the present study is to estimate cost/effectiveness and cost/utility of DBG compared to standard care for the prevention of VTE in THR and TKR patients in Italy, in order to contribute a rational base to the decisions making process in this field.