STENTS ARE CHEAPER THAN BYPASS SURGERY, SAYS STUDY
A recent study has found that implanting a drug-eluting stent is less costly than having bypass surgery.
In an independent analysis of a clinical trial, the use of a Cypher Sirolimus-eluting stent was found to cost several thousand dollars less than undergoing bypass surgery. In a study of 607 patients in 19 countries, the Arterial Revascularization Therapy Study determined that initial costs were 29 percent less expensive than surgery. Total one-year costs were 21 percent cheaper, the study found.
Initial costs, including hospitalization, physician fees and repeat procedures were $7,700 less, with the stent procedure costing an average of $26,419 and surgery costing $34,119. The one-year costs, when adjusted for patient differences in extent of coronary artery disease and diabetes, were $6,487 less, at $30,388 and $36,875 respectively.