PURPOSE: There are many wound care products available and treatment decisions often consider only a small subset of the available information. For example, the cost-effectiveness of a therapy is often readily available to clinicians, but not to financial decision makers within a facility. The objective of the current study is to examine the overall cost-effectiveness of V.A.C.® Therapy for surgically treated diabetic foot ulcer wounds in the hospital setting.

METHODOLOGY: Treatment flows were determined through analyses of clinical literature and verified by wound treatment experts. An economic model was constructed using data obtained from published literature to determine events and transition probabilities. Publicly available sources were used to determine hospital length of stay, clinical outcomes, nursing time, and cost of wound regimen. Meta-analyses served to integrate disparate data sources, for example by calculating weighted averages as appropriate.

RESULTS: The economic model estimates an overall cost-effectiveness and potential for cost savings of greater than $6,400 in the surgical treatment of diabetic foot ulcer wounds with V.A.C.® Therapy when compared to wet-to-moist dressing therapy. Based on the present analysis, the largest factor contributing to the cost-effectiveness outcomes of V.A.C.®Therapy was the number of hospital days. V.A.C.® Therapy was associated with an estimated 4.5 fewer hospital days compared to wet-to-moist therapy. Difference in closure method (e.g. primary closure instead of flap, secondary closure instead of primary closure) was the second largest contributor to the model results.

CONCLUSION: This economic model suggests that V.A.C.® Therapy for surgically treated diabetic foot ulcers can provide a potential for cost savings when compared to wet-to-moist treatments. These results highlight the importance of assessing wound treatment therapy not on a per diem rate, but on the overall cost benefit it can provide.