THURSDAY, June 22 (HealthDay News) -- Left atrial catheter ablation (LACA) can be cost effective for atrial fibrillation patients in their 50s and 60s if they have a moderate, but not low, stroke risk, according to a report in the June 20 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Paul S. Chan, M.D., of the University of Michigan School of Medicine in Ann Arbor, and colleagues used computer modeling to estimate the cost-effectiveness of LACA in atrial fibrillation patients aged 55 or 65 with a variety of factors that resulted in a low to moderate risk of stroke.
The researchers found that at 80 percent effectiveness, a 42 percent or greater and 11 percent or greater drop in stroke risk in 65-year-old atrial fibrillation patients would yield cost-effectiveness ratios of less than $50,000 and less than $100,000 per quality-adjusted life-year, respectively. Lower effectiveness would be needed to achieve a similar cost effectiveness in 55-year-old patients at moderate stroke risk.
"The use of LACA may be cost-effective in patients with atrial fibrillation at moderate risk for stroke, but it is not cost-effective in low-risk patients," the authors write. "Our threshold analyses may provide a framework for the design of future clinical trials by providing effect size estimates for LACA efficacy needed."
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
