A strategy to reduce inflammation and anemia treatment's related costs in dialysis patients

• Published in: Giornale italiano di nefrologia : organo ufficiale della Societa italiana di nefrologia Vol. 35; no. 1
• Main Authors: Di Iorio, Biagio R, Di Micco, Lucia, Russo, Luigi, Nardone, Luca, De Simone, Emanuele, Sirico, M L, Di Natale, Gabriella, Russo, Domenico
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Italy 01.02.2018
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anemia - drug therapy; Anemia - economics; Anemia - etiology; Cost Savings; Costs and Cost Analysis; Cross-Over Studies; Darbepoetin alfa - economics; Darbepoetin alfa - therapeutic use; Distillation - instrumentation; Epoetin Alfa - economics; Epoetin Alfa - therapeutic use; Female; Ferric Compounds - economics; Ferric Compounds - therapeutic use; Filtration - instrumentation; Hematinics - economics; Hematinics - therapeutic use; Hemodialysis Solutions - economics; Hemodialysis Solutions - therapeutic use; Hemoglobins - analysis; Humans; Inflammation; Kidney Failure, Chronic - blood; Kidney Failure, Chronic - economics; Kidney Failure, Chronic - therapy; Male; Middle Aged; Renal Dialysis - adverse effects; Renal Dialysis - economics; Water; dialysis; costs; dialysis bath; Anemia
• ISSN: 1724-5990

This is a post-hoc analysis evaluating erythropoiesis stimulating agents' (ESA) related costs while using an additional ultrafilter (Estorclean PLUS) to produce ultrapure dialysis water located within the fluid pathway after the treatment with reverse osmosis and before the dialysis machine. Twenty-nine patients (19 treated with epoetin alfa and 10 with darboepoetin alfa) were included in the analysis. We showed to gain savings of 210 € per patient (35 € per patient each month) with epoetin alfa during the experimental period of 6 months, compared to the control period and of 545 € per patient (90 € per patient each month) with darboepoetin alfa. Estorclean PLUS had a cost of 600 € (25 € per month per each patient) and was used for 6 months. Intravenous iron therapy with sodium ferrigluconate had a cost of 0,545 €/62,5 mg. In conclusion, during the experimental period with the use of Estorclean, we obtained global savings of 11 € per patient per month with epoetin alfa and 30 € per patient per month with darboepoetin alfa to treat anemia in dialysis patients.