Assessing the economic value of blood management guidelines in heart surgery

CHE RESEARCH BITES

By Adam Irving

Published: 03 April, 2023

When people have heart surgery, they often need blood transfusions. But these can be expensive and risky. To help cut costs and risks, doctors created guidelines for managing patients' blood during surgery.

A study led by Centre for Health Economics looked at whether these guidelines worked and if they saved money.

The study found that following the guidelines during heart surgery led to doctors using less blood, which meant the cost of treatment was lower. Patients who had surgery using the guidelines didn't have any worse outcomes than those who had surgery without the guidelines. This means the guidelines are a good way to save money and keep patients safe during heart surgery.

The guidelines work because they encourage doctors to only use blood transfusions when really necessary. Doctors also consider things like the patient's age and medical history to help them decide whether to use a transfusion. This means patients get better care and hospitals save money.

The study shows that these guidelines are a good idea for hospitals that do heart surgeries. They can save money and help patients, too.

Find the original academic paper here:  Irving, A. H., Harris, A., Petrie, D., Higgins, A., Smith, J. A., Tran, L., Reid, C. M., McQuilten, Z. K.  (2022). Economic Evaluation of National Patient Blood Management Clinical Guidelines in Cardiac Surgery. Value in Health Journal, 25/3, 1098–3015 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2021.07.014

CHE Research Bites are short, easy-to-understand summaries of our recent academic papers highlighting new evidence and insights on topical issues in the health and healthcare sectors.

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