Ontario health technology assessment series
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The aim of this review was to assess the clinical utility of portable bladder ultrasound. ⋯ Rapid diffusion of portable bladder ultrasound technology is expected. Recently, the IC5 project on improving continence care in Ontario's complex continuing care centres piloted portable bladder ultrasound at 12 sites. Preliminary results were promising. Many physicians and health care facilities already have portable bladder ultrasound devices. However, portable bladder ultrasound devices for PVR measurement are not in use at most health care facilities in Ontario and Canada. The Verathon Corporation (Bothell, Wisconsin, United States), which patents BladderScan, is the sole licensed manufacturer of the portable bladder ultrasound in Canada. Field monopoly may influence the rising costs of portable bladder ultrasound, particularly when faced with rapid expansion of the technology. Several thousand residents of Ontario would benefit from portable bladder ultrasound. The number of residents of Ontario that would benefit from the technology is difficult to quantify, because the incidence and prevalence of incontinence are grossly under-reported. However, long-term care and complex continuing care institutions would benefit greatly from portable bladder ultrasound, as would numerous rehabilitation units, postsurgical care units, and urology clinics. The cost of the portable bladder ultrasound devices ranges from $17,698.90 to $19,565.95 (Cdn) (total purchase price per unit as quoted by the manufacturer). Additional training packages, batteries and battery chargers, software, gel pads, and yearly warranties are additional costs. Studies indicate that portable bladder ultrasound is a cost-effective technology, because it avoids costs associated with catheterization equipment, saves nursing time, and reduces catheter-related complications and UTIs. The use of portable bladder ultrasound device will affect the patient directly in terms of health outcomes. Its use avoids the trauma related to the urinary tract that catheterization inflicts, and does not result in UTIs. In addition, patients prefer it, because it preserves dignity and reduces discomfort.
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Ont Health Technol Assess Ser · Jan 2006
Artificial discs for lumbar and cervical degenerative disc disease -update: an evidence-based analysis.
To assess the safety and efficacy of artificial disc replacement (ADR) technology for degenerative disc disease (DDD). ⋯ Lumbar Artificial Disc Replacement Since the 2004 Medical Advisory Secretariat health technology policy assessment, data from 2 RCTs and 6 case series assessing the effectiveness and adverse events profile of lumbar ADR to treat DDD has become available. The GRADE quality of this evidence is moderate for effectiveness and for short-term (2-year follow-up) complications; it is very low for ASD.The effectiveness of lumbar ADR is not inferior to that of spinal fusion for the treatment of lumbar DDD. The rates for device failure and neurological complications 2 years after surgery did not differ between ADR and fusion patients. Based on a Bayesian meta-analysis, lumbar ADR is 79% superior to lumbar spinal fusion.The rate of major complications after lumbar ADR is between 0% and 13% per device implanted. The rate of ASD in 1 case series was 2% over an 11-year follow-up period.Outcome data for lumbar ADR beyond a 2-year follow-up are not yet available.Cervical Artificial Disc Replacement Since the 2004 Medical Advisory Secretariat health technology policy assessment, 4 case series have been added to the body of evidence assessing the effectiveness and adverse events profile of cervical ADR to treat DDD. The GRADE quality of this evidence is very low for effectiveness as well as for the adverse events profile. Sparse outcome data are available.Because data are sparse, the effectiveness of cervical ADR compared with spinal fusion cannot be determined at this time.The rate of major complications was assessed up to 2 years after surgery; it ranged from 0% to 8.1% per device implanted. The rate of ASD is not reported in the clinical trial literature.
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Ont Health Technol Assess Ser · Jan 2006
Polysomnography in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: an evidence-based analysis.
The objective of this health technology policy assessment was to evaluate the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of sleep studies in Ontario. ⋯ Based on cross-sectional data from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study of 602 men and women aged 30 to 60 years, it is estimated that the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing is 9% in women and 24% in men, on the basis of more than five AHI events per hour of sleep. Among the women with sleep disorder breathing, 22.6% had daytime sleepiness and among the men, 15.5% had daytime sleepiness. Based on this, the prevalence of OSA in the middle-aged adult population is estimated to be 2% in women and 4% in men. Snoring is present in 94% of OSA patients, but not all snorers have OSA. Women report daytime sleepiness less often compared with their male counterparts (of similar age, body mass index [BMI], and AHI). Prevalence of OSA tends to be higher in older age groups compared with younger age groups. DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF POLYSOMNOGRAPHY: It is believed that PSG in the sleep laboratory is more accurate than in-home PSG. In the absence of a gold standard, however, claims of accuracy cannot be substantiated. In general, there is poor correlation between PSG variables and clinical variables. A variety of cut-off points of AHI (> 5, > 10, and > 15) are arbitrarily used to diagnose and categorize severity of OSA, though the clinical importance of these cut-off points has not been determined. Recently, a study of the use of a therapeutic trial of CPAP to diagnose OSA was reported. The authors studied habitual snorers with daytime sleepiness in the absence of other medical or psychiatric disorders. Using PSG as the reference standard, the authors calculated the sensitivity of this test to be 80% and its specificity to be 97%. Further, they concluded that PSG could be avoided in 46% of this population. OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA AND OBESITY: Obstructive sleep apnea is strongly associated with obesity. Obese individuals (BMI >30 kg/m(2)) are at higher risk for OSA compared with non-obese individuals and up to 75% of OSA patients are obese. It is hypothesized that obese individuals have large deposits of fat in the neck that cause the upper airway to collapse in the supine position during sleep. The observations reported from several studies support the hypothesis that AHIs (or RDIs) are significantly reduced with weight loss in obese individuals. OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES: Associations have been shown between OSA and comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension, which are known risk factors for myocardial infarction and stroke. Patients with more severe forms of OSA (based on AHI) report poorer quality of life and increased health care utilization compared with patients with milder forms of OSA. From animal models, it is hypothesized that sleep fragmentation results in glucose intolerance and hypertension. There is, however, no evidence from prospective studies in humans to establish a causal link between OSA and hypertension or diabetes mellitus. It is also not clear that the associations between OSA and other diseases are independent of obesity; in most of these studies, patients with higher values of AHI had higher values of BMI compared with patients with lower AHI values. A recent meta-analysis of bariatric surgery has shown that weight loss in obese individuals (mean BMI = 46.8 kg/m(2); range = 32.30-68.80) significantly improved their health profile. Diabetes was resolved in 76.8% of patients, hypertension was resolved in 61.7% of patients, hyperlipidemia improved in 70% of patients, and OSA resolved in 85.7% of patients. This suggests that obesity leads to OSA, diabetes, and hypertension, rather than OSA independently causing diabetes and hypertension. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)
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Ont Health Technol Assess Ser · Jan 2006
Routine eye examinations for persons 20-64 years of age: an evidence-based analysis.
The objective of this analysis was to determine the strength of association between age, gender, ethnicity, family history of disease and refractive error and the risk of developing glaucoma or ARM? ⋯ The total cost of a major eye examination by a physician is $42. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)
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Ont Health Technol Assess Ser · Jan 2006
Advanced electrophysiologic mapping systems: an evidence-based analysis.
To assess the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and demand in Ontario for catheter ablation of complex arrhythmias guided by advanced nonfluoroscopy mapping systems. Particular attention was paid to ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). ⋯ An Ontario-based economic analysis suggests that the cumulative incremental upfront costs of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation guided by advanced nonfluoroscopy mapping could be recouped in 4.7 years through cost avoidance arising from less need for antiarrhythmic drugs and fewer hospitalization for stroke and heart failure. Expert Opinion Expert consultants to the Medical Advisory Secretariat noted the following: Nonfluoroscopy mapping is not necessary for simple ablation procedures (e.g., typical flutter). However, it is essential in the ablation of complex arrhythmias including these:Symptomatic, drug-refractory atrial fibrillationArrhythmias in people who have had surgery for congenital heart disease (e.g., macro re-entrant tachycardia in people who have had surgery for congenital heart disease).Ventricular tachycardia due to myocardial infarctionAtypical atrial flutterAdvanced mapping systems represent an enabling technology in the ablation of complex arrhythmias. The ablation of these complex cases would not have been feasible or advisable with fluoroscopy-guided ablation and, therefore, comparative studies would not be feasible or ethical in such cases. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)