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Costs of Coronary Artery Surgery and Cost-Effectiveness of CABG vs Medicine

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Cardiovascular Health Care Economics

Part of the book series: Contemporary Cardiology ((CONCARD))

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Abstract

It has been nearly 40 years since the first coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) was performed. Since then, several randomized trials have confirmed that CABG prolongs survival and improves quality of life in patients with severe coronary disease (1). As a result, there has been more than a threefold increase in the number of CABG surgeries performed in the United States since 1979. In 1998, 553,000 CABG procedures were done (2), contributing approximately 10-20% to the estimated direct cost of $53.4 billion spent that year for the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). Given the continually changing medical environment toward emphasizing cost and cost savings, the medical literature has been more focused on determining predictors of the cost of certain procedures and evaluating methods to reduce costs. This chapter provides an economic overview of CABG surgery, including estimates of cost and the significant determinants of these costs. In addition, an overview of indirect costs is included, followed by a comparison of costs and cost-effectiveness (CE) between CABG and medical therapy of CAD. Finally, strategies to reduce costs associated with CABG are discussed, including a review of recent trends in CABG technique and perioperative care.

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Authors
  1. Sean C. Beinart MD
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  2. William S. Weintraub MD
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA

    William S. Weintraub MD

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© 2003 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Beinart, S.C., Weintraub, W.S. (2003). Costs of Coronary Artery Surgery and Cost-Effectiveness of CABG vs Medicine. In: Weintraub, W.S. (eds) Cardiovascular Health Care Economics. Contemporary Cardiology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-398-9_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-398-9_14

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-9784-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-398-9

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