Impact of metabolic surgery on cost and long-term health outcome: a cost-effectiveness approach

• Published in: Surgery for obesity and related diseases Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 260 - 270
• Main Authors: Walter, Evelyn, Langer, Felix B., Beckerhinn, Philipp, Hoffer, Franz, Prager, Gerhard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.02.2022
• Subjects: Bariatric Surgery; BMI; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Cost-effectiveness analysis; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - complications; Humans; Metabolic surgery; Modeling; Obesity; Quality of Life; Retrospective Studies; Obesity; Cost-effectiveness analysis; Metabolic surgery; Modeling; BMI
• ISSN: 1550-7289; 1878-7533
• DOI: 10.1016/j.soard.2021.10.012

The increase in obesity has become a major public health concern. Morbid obesity is associated with co-morbidities, reduced quality-of-life, and death. Metabolic surgery (MS) is the most effective treatment for obesity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the costs and outcomes of MS compared with no surgery in patients with a body mass index ≥30 kg/m2. Health care system, Austria A total of 177 patients who underwent MS were documented retrospectively, based on the hospital records of 2 specialized centers in Austria, over a 1-year period. At baseline 26.0% of patients exhibited type 2 diabetes (T2D), 52.5% cardiovascular disease (CVD), 23.2% hyperlipidemia, and 23.7% depression. Following the observation period, a Markov chain simulation model was developed to analyze the long-term consequences of T2D, including diabetic complications, CVD, hyperlipidemia, depression, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), myocardial infarction, and stroke, over a total of 20 years. Direct medical costs were expressed in 2017 euros from the payer’s perspective. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), life years (LYs), and costs were discounted. MS led to costs of €40,427 and 9.58 QALYs (15.58 LYs) per patient over 20 years. No MS was associated with €64,819 and 6.33 QALYs (13.92 LYs). Total cost-savings amounted to €24,392, which offset the cost of the procedure including re-operations. Over 20 years MS saved –6.7 patient-years per patient with T2D, –5.8 patient-years with CVD, –1.5 patient-years with hyperlipidemia, –1.8 patient-years with depression, and –3.8 patient-years with NASH. MS is associated with substantial savings in long-term costs, expected health benefits, and reduced onset of complications. MS significantly increases quality of life. •Metabolic surgery is not only cost effective it is costs saving•A significant increase in quality of life (QoL) after metabolic surgery was found•The benefit of weight reduction relates to the reduction of the co-morbidities.