What is the
true cost of
Bronchoscopy?
To celebrate the publication of A systematic review and cost effectiveness analysis of reusable vs. single‐use flexible bronchoscopes Ambu hosted an evening where three of the authors presented their findings and perspectives from the research. To put the interesting findings in perspectives, the authors were joined by an expert in the field of cross-contamination.
We are making the three interesting and insightful presentations available for you – you can watch when it suits you!
We have also edited a short 11 mins video with the key points from the three presentations
The effectiveness of reprocessing reusable bronchoscopes
To fully understand the background of the cost of bronchoscopy, it is essential to know more about the effectiveness of reprocessing reusable bronchoscopes.
Cori L Ofstead (MSPH) offer her expertise, perspectives, and research findings in this comprehensive presentation.
Duration: 38 mins
Cori L. Ofstead, MSPH is the President and CEO of Ofstead & Associates, Inc., where she leads a multidisciplinary team that specializes in designing and conducting real-world studies to validate healthcare guidelines, treatments, and product claims. As an epidemiologist with 25 years of research experience, her findings regarding guideline adherence and decision-making by healthcare providers and patients have been published in several peer-reviewed journals.
Findings and perspectives
on the cost of single-use bronchoscopes
Two of the authors behind the publication, Dr Imran Ahmad (FRCA) and Dr Kariem El-Boghdadly (MBBS, BSc, FRCA, EDRA, MSc) present their findings as well as offer their perspectives on the cost of single-use bronchoscopes.
Duration: 20 mins
Dr Imran Ahmad has been appointed as the Secretary for DAS in November 2018. He has been a committee member since 2012, when he was appointed as the DAS Surveys co-ordinator. He was a co-author of the 2015 DAS intubation guidelines and is the chair for the DAS Awake Tracheal Intubation Guidelines. He has more than 63 published papers on Difficult Airways. Imran is a Consultant Anaesthetist and Clinical Lead for Airway Management Service Clinical Lead for Anaesthesia & Theatres at Guy’s Hospital, Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London. He is also Honorary Senior Lecturer at King’s College London.
Dr Kariem El-Boghdadly completed undergraduate training at University College London in 2007 and proceeded to undertake his anaesthetic training in South East School of Anaesthesia. He was awarded the Nuffield Prize for the FRCA and completed fellowships in pre-hospital medicine in Australia, followed by regional anaesthesia in Toronto, Canada. He is an Editor of Anaesthesia Journal and Anaesthesia Reports, and also serves as an expert reviewer for several high-impact journals. He has more than 60 peer-reviewed publications, has written three books and four book chapters. Kariem is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at King’s College London, and his research interests include regional anaesthesia, airway management and research delivery. Kariem is the Scientific Officer for the Difficult Airway Society (UK), and is the Research and Development lead for Theatres, Anaesthesia and Peri-operative medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’NHS Foundation Trust.
Cost-effectiveness calculations
One of the authors behind the publication, Professor Lars Ehlers (MBBS, BSc, FRCA, EDRA, MSc) presents conclusions on the cost effectiveness calculations presented in the study as well as perspectives on cost-effectiveness.
Duration: 7 mins
Lars Holger Ehlers is Professor of Health Economics at the Department of Economics and Management at Aalborg University. He is the head of the Danish Centre for Healthcare Improvements (DCHI), which deals with improvements in the Danish healthcare system. He has more than 213 publications and acts as a reviewer for several peer reviewed journals.
A new study conducted at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust Department of Anaesthesia has found that single-use flexible bronchoscopes are more cost-effective and associated with a lower risk of infection than reusable flexible bronchoscopes.
Download study summary
See the full report of the study findings published in the Anaesthesia journal.
Results of the study
• Capital cost comparison
The study found that when capital costs alone are considered, the cost per patient with a reusable flexible bronchoscope is £249 compared to £220 with an Ambu® aScope™ 4 single-use bronchoscope1.
• The cost of cross contamination
When the cost of treatment of infection (£262) is taken into account, the total cost per patient with a reusable flexible bronchoscope rises from £249 to £511. That is a total cost savings of £291 per procedure.
• Conclusion
The study concluded that single-use bronchoscopes offer a number of advantages over reusable ones: “The findings from the study suggests benefits of single-use FBs in terms of cost-effectiveness, cross-contamination and resource utilisation.”
1The cost per use of a single-use flexible aScope™ single-use bronchoscope used in the study was provided by Ambu®.
Why was this study conducted?
The true cost of bronchoscopy can be difficult to determine
Routine bronchoscopies are generally regarded as safe and cost-efficient procedures that help patients and even save lives. However, determining the true cost of procedures performed with reusable flexible bronchoscopes can be challenging because they:
• Are often split across departments, budgets, tied into large procurement contracts
• Include variable costs associated with reprocessing, such as cleaning consumables, work time and repairs.
• Do not include the cost of infection, which can arise as a result of cross-contamination
Getting to the root
of the problem
The new study conducted at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust Department of Anaesthesia offers some clarity.
The study is the first to combine a systematic review of relevant literature with a quantifiable micro-costing analysis in order to calculate the risks and costs linked to cross-contamination and infection.
Download a summary of the study
See the full report of the study findings published in the Anaesthesia journal.
Learn about the Ambu aScope 4 Broncho single-use solution
