Two-year PAD-related health care costs in patients undergoing lower extremity endovascular revascularization: results from the LIBERTY 360° trial.

backgroundMultiple studies have demonstrated the high economic burden related to the management of lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD). This is the first study to examine long-term PAD-related costs among unselected patients undergoing endovascular intervention, and to investigate how clinical and anatomic factors impact cost outcomes over time. METHODS AND

resultsWe performed a prospective health economic study alongside the LIBERTY 360° trial (ClinicalTrials.gov; identifier NCT01855412) - a prospective, multi-center study evaluating the long-term outcomes of endovascular revascularization to treat claudication or critical limb ischemia. Costs (2018) were calculated using a combination of standard "bottom-up" cost accounting methods (for index procedures), itemized hospital charges and department level cost-to-charge ratios (for non-procedural hospital resources), national Medicare Severity-Diagnosis Related Group-specific average reimbursements (for follow-up hospitalizations) and Medicare payments (for outpatient/chronic care). Methods for the analysis of censored cost data were used to adjust cost estimates for patients with incomplete follow-up. Independent predictors of cumulative 2-year costs were explored using generalized linear models. A total of 1,189 patients were included (500 Rutherford 2-3, 589 Rutherford 4-5, 100 Rutherford 6). Mean total costs associated with the index procedure hospitalization increased with Rutherford classification ($10,304, $11,418, and $19,403 for Rutherford 2-3, 4-5, and 6, respectively;

conclusionsAmong patients with symptomatic lower extremity PAD undergoing endovascular revascularization, initial treatment costs and total 2-year costs vary significantly according to clinical and lesion-level characteristics, as well as symptom burden.