• Heesoo Joo, Guijing Wang, and Mary G George.
• IHRC Inc., Atlanta, Georgia; Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia. Electronic address: hjoo@cdc.gov.
• Am J Prev Med. 2017 Dec 1; 53 (6S2): S205S212S205-S212.

IntroductionStudies have demonstrated that intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV rtPA) is a cost-effective treatment for acute ischemic stroke. Age-specific cost effectiveness has not been well examined. This study estimated age-specific incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) of IV rtPA treatment versus no IV rtPA.MethodsA Markov model was developed to examine the economic impact of IV rtPA over a 20-year time horizon on four age groups (18-44, 45-64, 65-80, and ≥81 years) from the U.S. healthcare sector perspective. The model used health outcomes from a national stroke registry adjusted by parameters from previous literature and current hospitalization costs in 2013 U.S. dollars. Long-term annual costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) in the years after a stroke were discounted at 3% per year. Incremental costs, incremental QALYs, and ICERs were estimated and sensitivity analyses were conducted between 2015 and 2017.ResultsUse of IV rtPA gained 0.55 QALYs and cost $3,941 more than no IV rtPA for stroke patients aged ≥18 years over a 20-year time horizon. IV rtPA was a dominant strategy compared to no IV rtPA for patients aged 18-44 and 45-64 years. For patients aged 65-80 years, IV rtPA gained 0.44 QALYs and cost $4,872 more than no IV rtPA (ICER=$11,132/QALY). For patients aged ≥81 years, ICER was estimated at $48,676/QALY.ConclusionsIV rtPA saved costs and improved health outcomes for patients aged 18-64 years and was cost effective for those aged ≥65 years. These findings support the use of IV rtPA.Published by Elsevier Inc.

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