Cost-Effectiveness of Ventricular Assist Device Therapy as a Bridge to Transplant in Comparison to Non-Bridged Cardiac Recipients

Abstract

PurposeThe available treatment options for advanced heart failure are heart transplantation (HTx) and ventricular assist device (VAD) therapy. This project aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of bridge to transplant (BTT)-VAD relative to direct to HTx in transplant eligible patients.Methods and MaterialsA Markov model was used to evaluate survival benefits and costs for BTT-VAD versus unbridged HTx recipients. We divided simulated base …