Placement of Central Venous Catheters
"The increased use of US [ultrasound]… will free up medical and nursing staff time as well as freeing up theatre time and hospital ward beds. Any financial saving would accrue from reduced need to treat complications."
From "The Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Ultrasound Locating Devices for Central Venous Access: A Systematic Review and Economic Evaluation," Health Technology Assess 2003; 7 (12), NICE, March 2003 |
Central venous catheters carry vital drugs and nutrition to patients suffering from a variety of conditions, including cancer and kidney failure. Such catheters, which are usually inserted into major arteries, such as the jugular vein, are critical in many emergency and treatment situations.
A 2003 study by the UK's National Institute for Clinical Excellence1 and published in The British Medical Journal found that patients experience fewer complications when providers use ultrasound imaging to guide insertion of the catheters. Click here to view the study
- Failures not only cause discomfort for patients, but also result in costly complications, according to the study.
- Economic modeling showed that using ultrasound to place central venous catheters would save £2000 for every 1,000 procedures. This included the costs of purchasing ultrasound machines and training medical staff.
- The net savings resulted from the need to treat fewer complications, including the reduced time requirements on clinicians and nursing staff, as well as treatment facilities. According to the study, "Although wider use of two dimensional ultrasound guidance for central venous access is unlikely to achieve hard cash savings for the [UK National Health Service], the opportunity cost savings are genuine and relevant."2 Click here to view the study
1 "The Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Ultrasound Locating Devices for Central Venous Access: A Systematic Review and Economic Evaluation," Calvert N, Hind D, McWilliams RG, Thomas SM, Bererley C, Davidson A; Health Technology Assessment 2003; 7 (12), National Institute for Clinical Excellence, March 2003.
2 "Ultrasonic Locating Devices for Central Venous Cannulation: Meta-Analysis," Daniel Hind, Neill Calvert, Richard McWilliams, Andrew Davidson, Suzy Paisley, Catherine Beverely, Steven Thomas, The British Medical Journal, Volume 327, 16 August 2003, at bmj.com, accessed December 23, 2003.
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