Cost-effectiveness of a European ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction network: results from the Catalan Codi Infart network

Objectives: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) network of Catalonia (Codi Infart). Design Cost-utility analysis. Setting: The analysis was from the Catalonian Autonomous Community in Spain, with a population of about 7.5 million people. Participants: Patients with STEMI treated within the autonomous community of Catalonia (Spain) included in the IAM CAT II-IV and Codi Infart registries. Outcome measures costs included hospitalisation, procedures and additional personnel and were obtained according to the reperfusion strategy. Clinical outcomes were defined as 30-day avoided mortality and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), before (N=356) and after network implementation (N=2140). Results: A substitution effect and a technology effect were observed; aggregate costs increased by 2.6%. The substitution effect resulted from increased use of primary coronary angioplasty, a relatively expensive procedure and a decrease in fibrinolysis. Primary coronary angioplasty increased from 31% to 89% with the network, and fibrinolysis decreased from 37% to 3%. Rescue coronary angioplasty declined from 11% to 4%, and no reperfusion from 21% to 4%. The technological effect was related to improvements in the percutaneous coronary intervention procedure that increased efficiency, reducing the average length of the hospital stay. Mean costs per patient decreased from 8306 to 7874 for patients with primary coronary angioplasty. Clinical outcomes in patients treated with primary coronary angioplasty did not change significantly, although 30-day mortality decreased from 7.5% to 5.6%. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio resulted in an extra cost of 4355 per life saved (30-day mortality) and 495 per QALY. Below a cost threshold of 30,000, results were sensitive to variations in costs and outcomes. Conclusions: The Catalan STEMI network (Codi Infart) is cost-efficient. Further studies are needed in geopolitical different scenarios