Cor Vasa 2008, 50(1):23-27 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2008.013

Analysis of costs of treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation in the Czech Republic

Veronika Bulková^1,2, Martin Fiala³, Jan Chovančík³, Dan Wichterle⁴, Robert Čihák⁴, Marian Branny³, Aleš Linhart², Ivan Gladkij², Josef Kautzner⁴

¹ II. interní klinika kardiologie a angiologie, Všeobecná fakultní nemocnice a 1. lékařská fakulta Univerzity Karlovy, Praha

² Ústav sociálního lékařství a zdravotní politiky, Lékařská fakulta Univerzity Palackého, Olomouc

³ Oddělení kardiologie, Nemocnice Podlesí a. s., Třinec

⁴ Klinika kardiologie, Institut klinické a experimentální medicíny, Praha, Česká republika

Aim:
The aim of the study was to analyze the annual costs of conventional therapy per patient with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods:
The healthcare data of patients were obtained using a questionnaire distributed to cardiologists across the Czech Republic. The study included 306 patients (94 women) with a mean age of 63.7 ± 11.4 years, with a confirmed diagnosis of AF, receiving standard cardiologist-guided therapy, who had not have catheter-based ablation. Costs were analyzed in terms of the healthcare cost payer. Total costs of treatment of AF patients were calculated as the sums spent on diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, antiarrhythmic and anticoagulation/antiplatelet therapy, hospitalization, and some other procedures.

Results:
Total treatment-related costs per patient per year amounted to 42,406.60 Czech crowns (1,462 euros). The most costly were diagnostic and therapeutic procedures (55%) including interventional procedures such as selective coronary angiography, catheter-based ablation of Type I atrial flutter, and pacemaker implantation for sinus node dysfunction. Hospitalization was accounting for 27% of total costs, the cost of antiarrhythmic and anticoagulation therapy represented 9% of total costs. The costs of hospitalization and antiarrhythmic and anticoagulation therapy were lower compared with those reported by other, similar studies addressing this issue.

Conclusion:
The annual costs of 1,462 euros for healthcare per AF patient are about a half of those reported from France (approx. 3,000 euros).

Keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Conventional therapy; Treatment-related costs

Published: January 1, 2008  Show citation