Cost analysis study comparing the impact of treatment with aprotinin versus tranexamic acid in cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass.

OBJECTIVES: An increased risk of mortality and postoperative side effects led to aprotinin (Trasylol®) withdrawal from the market in 2008, but since 2018 aprotinin has again been used in France. The French retrospective multicentre APACHE study (AProtinin versus tranexamic Acid in Cardiac surgery patients with High-risk for Excessive bleeding) compared the efficacy of tranexamic acid versus half-dose aprotinin. The aim of this study, ancillary to the APACHE study, is to carry out a medico-economic analysis of the use of these two antifibrinolytics on an APACHE subpopulation. METHODS: Economic data on reimbursement by the French health insurance system were extracted from the program for the data processing of medical information, and quantitative data on the cost of healthcare products were obtained from the hospital pharmacy software. RESULTS: The main analysis of costs for the population shows that the global valuation was not significantly different between the two treatment groups (P=0.60), but the costs of blood products included in the related hospital stay group (Groupe Homogène de séjour [GHS]) (whole blood, platelets and plasma) were higher for the tranexamic acid group (P=0.007). In a sub-analysis of patients alive at discharge, the costs of blood products in addition to GHS (blood-derived medicines) and the costs of blood products in the GHS were higher for the tranexamic acid group (P=0.04 and 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The additional cost of aprotinin at the time of purchase is offset by the additional costs of blood products in the tranexamic acid group.

Fresh-frozen plasma transfusion did not reduce 30-day mortality in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass cardiac surgery with excessive bleeding: the PLASMACARD multicenter cohort study.

BACKGROUND: During on-pump cardiac surgery, hemorrhagic complications occur frequently. Fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) is widely transfused to provide coagulation factors. Yet, no randomized clinical trial has demonstrated its benefits on mortality. We assessed the relationship between therapeutic transfusion of FFP and 30-day mortality in cardiac surgery patients suffering from excessive bleeding in a prospective cohort study. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Adult patients who underwent on-pump cardiac surgery and experienced excessive bleeding during the 48-hour perioperative period were recruited from 15 French centers between February 2004 and January 2006. Patients who received a preventive FFP transfusion were excluded. The association between FFP transfusion and all cause 30-day mortality was estimated using a Cox proportional hazards model, adjusted for confounding. A propensity score (PS) sensitivity analysis was also performed. RESULTS: Among 967 patients included in this study, 58.1% received FFP. The median dose was 11.3 mL/kg (interquartile range, 7.6-19.5). The cumulative 30-day mortality rate was 11.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.5-13.5). FFP transfusion was associated with a higher 30-day mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 3.2; 95% CI, 1.7-6.1) in univariate analysis; however, after adjusting for prognostic factors, there was no longer any association (HR, 1.5; 95% CI, 0.8-3.0, p = 0.20). The results of the PS analysis were consistent with the adjusted analysis. CONCLUSION: Among on-pump cardiac surgery patients experiencing excessive perioperative bleeding, there is no evidence of a beneficial impact of FFP transfusion on mortality.