• G Biancofiore, L Bindi, F Cellai, G Consani, I Meacci, U Boggi, R Bellini, F Filipponi, F Mosca, and A Vagelli.
• Azienda Ospedaliera Pisana, Policlinico di Cisanello, Pisa. g.biancofiore@patchir.med.unipi.it
• Minerva Anestesiol. 1998 Dec 1; 64 (12): 587-91.

BackgroundTo evaluate anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) costs for Orthotopic Liver Transplantation (OLT) through a point by point analysis of the entire process from anesthesia induction to ICU discharge.DesignRetrospective analysis.SettingRegional Transplantation Centre participating to the Italian National Health Care System.MethodsAnesthesia and ICU costs for each OLT performed during 1997 were estimated through the analysis of costs of the following categories: drugs, medical and nurse staff, blood bank, radiology, laboratory, haemoderivates.ResultsForty OLTs were performed in 38 recipients during the study period. The total charges for the anesthesia and ICU management of these patients calculated in US dollars were 583.433,23 (considering the exchange rates valid in January 1998). ICU costs resulted approximately 2.5 times higher than those for anesthesia. Blood bank and drugs were the categories that had the greatest impact on the final expense whereas laboratory had the lowest. The charges referred to medical and nurse staff resulted higher in the ICU than for anesthesia.ConclusionsThe Italian National Health Care System has to deal with limited resources; costs analysis of high-tech procedures as OLT is of basic importance to optimise resources allocation and to enforce money-saving actions.

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