Associated presentations: Aspects of this work have been accepted for poster publication
at Anesthesiology 2015 (San Diego, United States) and E-ISPOR 2015 (Milan, Italy)
Introduction
Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures undertaken as part of standard healthcare can
be unpleasant, distressing and painful for patients [1]
[2]. Provision of sedation and analgesia to limit patient distress is common and has
been shown to increase the success rate of procedures such as colonoscopy [3]. The aim of procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) is to reduce patients’ consciousness
and pain recognition while retaining their continuous, independent ventilation, and
protective reflexes [4]. The role of PSA has been growing as sedation outside the operating room and/or
without anesthesiologist assistance becomes more common [5]
[6]. A comparison of gastroenterology procedures in the United States between 2003 and
2009 found that although the number of procedures performed in Medicare patients remained
roughly constant, the percentage of procedures using anesthesia increased from 13.5 %
to 30.2 % [6].
The use of PSA is not without both risks and costs. Reports suggest that PSA accounts
for approximately 75 % of the time and 40 % of the cost associated with endoscopy
[7]. Monitoring of PSA is mandatory because there is a risk of patients progressing
into deeper, unintended levels of sedation; guidelines recommend that one healthcare
professional be specifically tasked with monitoring [5]
[8]. Still, adverse events (AEs) such as apnea, desaturation, and hypotension occur.
Observational and retrospective studies indicated low rates of AEs, with 1.6 % to
2.4 % of patients experiencing oxygen desaturation < 90 % during PSA [9]
[10]
[11]. Randomized, controlled trials, however, generally report higher values (13 % to
69 %) [12]
[13]
[14]. The occurrence of AEs further adds to the care and cost burden placed on hospitals
[15]
[16]
[17].
Standard-of-care monitoring for PSA is pulse oximetry, visual assessment and blood
pressure measurement, with adjunct monitoring with capnography a Level B recommendation
in the emergency room setting and when PSA targets deep sedation for endoscopy [8]. Capnography monitoring evaluates carbon dioxide in exhaled air and provides a measure
of patient ventilation. Randomized, controlled trials have demonstrated that capnography
in addition to pulse oximetry can reduce the occurrence of specific AEs in both pediatric
patients targeting moderate sedation and adults receiving propofol-mediated deep sedation
[12]
[13]
[14]
[18]. To date, there are no adult studies addressing the utility of capnography with
PSA targeting moderate sedation. Furthermore, two studies published in 2015 indicate
that capnography leads to earlier identification of compromise and a reduced need
for intervention [19]
[20]. Both of these series, however, did not involve gastrointestinal endoscopy. There
is no meta-analysis that quantifies the impact of capnography monitoring on AEs to
provide the highest level of evidence to inform clinical decision making. As such,
moves to include capnography monitoring in the standard of care for PSA targeting
moderate sedation have been controversial and met with resistance [21]. Key objections were the level of evidence supporting capnography in PSA and in
particular, in adults receiving moderate sedation, the lack of standardized outcome
definitions for apnea or disordered respiration and the added monetary burden of a
costly technology [21].
Capnography is the standard of care for monitoring sedation in other hospital settings,
including PSA targeting deep sedation and monitoring patients receiving mechanical
ventilation where clinical trial data indicate its benefit [14]
[22]
[23]
[24]. The highest level of synthesized evidence supporting the patient benefits of capnography
is, however, lacking and no studies to date have evaluated the cost of capnography
monitoring during PSA. This analysis evaluates whether the cost of adding capnography
represents a reasonable barrier to its addition to the standard of care during PSA.
Due to data availability and the fact that AE rates vary by procedure, the analysis
focuses on gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures.
Patients and methods
A comprehensive model of PSA was developed in Microsoft Excel®. It was considered comprehensive because it considers all major patient, staff, location,
and monitoring characteristics that influence the adverse event rate and takes into
account the costs and/or time associated with product acquisition and maintenance,
staff training, and AE resolution. The objective of this decision analytic model was
to provide a robust estimate of the cost per additional/avoided AE for the addition
of capnography to pulse oximetry during PSA. Additional outcomes estimated were the
cost per procedure and the number needed to treat (NNT) for each AE considered. The
model complied with good practice guidelines as published by the International Society
of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) [25]. Where published data were unavailable to inform the model, expert opinion was sought
or primary data collection was undertaken. The structured literature search used to
identify relevant literature in the PubMed database is presented in the supplementary
material. Equivalent searches were undertaken in EMBASE and the Cochrane Library.
The quality of randomized, controlled trials returned and considered for use in the
model was assessed using a modified Jadad score (supplementary material).
The model considers a cohort of patients that undergo PSA. In the model, PSA is performed
with pulse oximetry monitoring or pulse oximetry and capnography monitoring ([Fig. 1]) and both arms include visual and blood pressure assessment. The model has a 1-year
cycle length, with subsequent cycles only considering background mortality taken from
US life tables. In each model arm, the risk of AEs including apnea, aspiration, bradycardia,
desaturation, hypotension, and respiratory failure is assessed via a decision tree
([Fig. 2]) with transition probabilities derived from randomized controlled trials and large
observational studies ([Table 1] and supplementary material). Because a single patient can have multiple AEs, each
AE considered is its own decision tree. Interventions to treat AEs ([Table 2]) were taken from guidelines. Outcomes dependent on experiencing an AE were also
estimated and they were mortality, anesthesiologist intervention, unplanned admission,
and procedure termination. Serious AEs were associated with a risk of legal action.
Fig. 1 Overview of the model structure. The model runs on a cohort basis. Based on study
data, a proportion of patients will experience a model outcome. The likelihood of
events is provided for the standard-of-care arm, with an odds ratio used to estimate
the likelihood of events in the capnography arm. Adverse events, rescue medication,
and death are all assumed to take place during the procedure and can impact on the
procedure time, while presence of events can influence recovery time.
Fig. 2 Assessing outcomes in the cohort using a decision tree. p[N] is the probability of
the outcome, where N is the number of the transition in question. In this example,
not all possible transitions and trees are shown.
Table 1
Adverse event rates and rates of associated events during procedural sedation in adults.
Event
|
Rate
|
Study detail
|
Reference
|
Adverse event
|
|
|
|
Airway obstruction
|
0.05
|
No data
|
Assumption
|
Apnea
|
0.13580
|
33 events in 243 patients during a prospective trial
|
[27]
|
Aspiration
|
0.00031
|
Review indicating that aspiration is rare, reporting one trial in adults with 1 event
in 3,216 procedures (general anesthesia)
|
[40]
|
Bradycardia
|
0.08300
|
Incidence rate of 8.3 % in an randomized, controlled trial
|
[12]
|
Desaturation (< 90 %)
|
0.19800
|
Incidence rate of 19.8 % in an randomized, controlled trial
|
[12]
|
Desaturation (< 85 %)
|
0.07800
|
Incidence rate of 7.8 % in an randomized, controlled trial
|
[12]
|
Hypotension
|
0.08230
|
20 events in 243 patients during a prospective trial
|
[27]
|
Respiratory failure
|
0.00295
|
Due to a range of definitions and rates, the mean rate was taken from a Scandinavian
study (0.4 %) and a US study (0.19 %) = 0.00295
|
[41]
[42]
|
Adverse outcomes
|
|
|
Anesthesiologist intervention
|
0.00316
|
Of 78 hypoxemia events and 554 hypotension events an anesthesiologist was called 10
times, in only 2 cases was intervention required. Rate of 2 /(78 + 554)
|
[43]
|
Mortality
|
0.000006
|
1 death in every 161,515 procedures, from a study of > 600,000 cases
|
[44]
|
Premature termination
|
0.00823
|
2 events in 243 patients during a prospective trial
|
[27]
|
Unplanned admission
|
0.00293
|
28 patients out of 9547 procedures (over 6 years) needed extra care in the intensive
care unit
|
[41]
|
Legal action
|
|
|
|
A legal claim is made
|
0.000567
|
There were 38 claims from an analysis of 67,000 procedures undertaken between 2004
and 2009
|
[33]
|
Results in a settlement or damages
|
0.000318
|
56 % of claims (from remote locations) were paid, rate is 56 % of that for a legal
claim made
|
[15]
|
Table 2
Interventions in the model and their associated cost and frequency of use.
Intervention
|
Related adverse events (Reference)
|
Probability (Reference)
|
Time, min (SD)[1]
|
Cost, USD (SD)
|
Supplemental oxygen
|
Desaturation, bradycardia, [45] assumed also aspiration and respiratory compromise
|
0.57800 [46]
|
0.5 (0.3)
|
10 (2)[2]
|
Airway repositioning
|
Desaturation, apnea (obstructive), airway obstruction, bradycardia, [45] assumed also aspiration
|
0.35316 [46]
|
0.2 (0.1)
|
0 (0)[2]
|
Intubation
|
Desaturation, apnea (central), airway obstruction, bradycardia [45], assumed also aspiration and respiratory compromise
|
0.00980 [46]
|
5.0 (2.5)
|
126 (25)[3]
|
CPAP
|
Assumed aspiration and respiratory compromise
|
0.06916 [46]
|
3.0 (1.5)
|
604 (121)[3]
|
Positive pressure ventilation
|
Desaturation, apnea (obstructive), airway obstruction [45]
|
0.32416 [46]
|
3.0 (1.5)
|
604 (121)[4]
|
Nasal airway
|
Desaturation, apnea (obstructive), airway obstruction [45]
|
0.06112 [9]
|
5.0 (2.5)
|
948 (190)[3]
|
Oral airway
|
Desaturation, apnea (obstructive), airway obstruction [45]
|
0.00916 [46]
|
5.0 (2.5)
|
948 (190)[4]
|
Stimulation
|
Desaturation, apnea (central), bradycardia [45]
|
0.10816 [46]
|
0.2 (0.1)
|
0 (0)[2]
|
Reversal agents
|
Apnea (central), [45] assumed also respiratory compromise
|
0.00870 [27]
|
5.0 (2.5)
|
40 (8)[2]
|
Bag mask ventilation
|
Apnea (central), airway obstruction, bradycardia, [45] assumed also desaturation
|
0.00821 [9]
|
5.0 (2.5)
|
12 (3)[3]
|
Suctioning
|
Desaturation, apnea (obstructive), airway obstruction, bradycardia, [45] assumed also desaturation
|
0.03920 [46]
|
2.0 (1.0)
|
100 (20)[2]
|
Additional sedation
|
Airway obstruction [45]
|
0.33800 [29]
|
1.0 (0.5)
|
541 (108)[3]
|
Neuromuscular blockade
|
Airway obstruction [45]
|
0.00411 (assumption)
|
1.0 (0.5)
|
100 (20)[2]
|
Chest compressions
|
Bradycardia, hypotension, [45] assumed also respiratory compromise
|
0.01200 [29]
|
5.0 (2.5)
|
0 (0)[2]
|
IV fluids
|
Hypotension, [45] assumed also respiratory compromise
|
0.01500 [29]
|
5.0 (2.5)
|
19 (4)[3]
|
Code blue
|
Assumed apnea and respiratory compromise
|
0.00411 (assumption)
|
15.0 (7.5)
|
1000 (200)[2]
|
Abbreviations: CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure; IV, intravenous; SD, standard
deviation; USD, United States dollar
1 All values are assumptions for mean values based on clinical practice experience
of JV and colleagues
2 Values are assumptions as no cost data were available
3 Value derived from analysis of the PREMIER database, 2012 – 2013
4 Assumed equal to CPAP and nasal airway, respectively
Patients experiencing an AE were exposed to the risk of each AE occurring ([Fig. 2]). For each AE that occurs, the proportion of patients that experience this AE was
exposed to the probability of each intervention that is used to treat the AE. Finally,
each AE was associated with a risk of an adverse outcome (e. g. mortality) and each
intervention and outcome was associated with both a time and monetary cost ([Table 2]). A 2013 study reported that patients who experienced an AE during PSA had a longer
recovery time, specifically 20 minutes with an AE compared with 12 minutes without
an AE [26]. In the model, patients who experience an AE are retained in the recovery room for
an extra 8 (±4) minutes.
Model cohort and patient characteristics
The mean cohort characteristics of the model population were derived from two recent
studies, one randomized, controlled trial and one prospective cohort study, undertaken
in the US setting [14]
[27]. Combining data from these studies (supplementary material) provided a patient cohort
with mean (standard deviation, SD) characteristics of: age 55.5 (14.8) years, 45.3 %
male, body mass index (BMI) 26.2 (5.9) kg/m2, and an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification of I, II, III,
and IV of 4.9 %, 50.6 %, 44.5 %, and 0 %, respectively. For gender and ASA class,
the standard deviation was assumed to be 10 % during sensitivity analyses.
Following reports from clinical studies, patient cohort characteristics were used
to modulate the risk of experiencing an AE. The study by Wani et al. found that sedation-related
AEs were significantly associated with patient age and BMI [28]. It has also been reported that ASA class is associated with the likelihood of experiencing
an AE [29]. The ORs reported are modelled as independent variables and combined to provide
a cohort level OR for AEs (supplementary material). In general, a cohort of older
patients with higher BMI and a greater proportion of patients in ASA classes III and
IV would be most likely to experience AEs. The odds of an AE were also modulated by
the healthcare professional performing the monitoring and the procedure location.
These data are assumed to be dependent, with the healthcare professional performing
the monitoring being the dominant factor (supplementary material).
Capnography
Impact on adverse events
Clinical studies have indicated that capnography can influence the rate at which AEs
are experienced ([Table 3]). These data are taken exclusively from studies utilizing PSA targeting deep sedation.
Due to heterogeneity of data in the literature, both significant and non-significant
differences between study arms were modeled, with uncertainty explored through sensitivity
analyses; thus, a finding of “no significant difference” was not taken to mean no
difference between trial arms. If no data were available for an AE, then no difference
between pulse oximetry and pulse oximetry plus capnography was modeled (an odds ratio
[OR] of 1). In each case where the data for the ORs were presented in the literature,
the standard error and 95 % confidence intervals were calculated (supplementary material).
The clinical trials of capnography generally report data for deep rather than moderate
PSA.
Table 3
Odds ratios for capnography event rates.
Adverse event
|
Odds ratio (95 % CI)
|
SE
|
Study detail
|
Reference
|
Apnea
|
0.417 (0.25 – 0.7)
|
0.26
|
Occurred in 62.6 % of patients receiving standard of care and 41.1 % of patients receiving
standard of care plus capnography
|
[14]
|
Bradycardia
|
1.146 (0.69 – 1.9)
|
0.26
|
Occurred in 8.3 % of patients receiving standard of care and 9.4 % of patients receiving
standard of care plus capnography
|
[12]
|
Desaturation ( < 90 %)
|
0.579 (0.39 – 0.86)
|
0.20
|
Occurred in 19.8 % of patients receiving standard of care and 12.5 % of patients receiving
standard of care plus capnography
|
[12]
|
Desaturation ( < 85 %)
|
0.454 (0.23 – 0.87)
|
0.33
|
Occurred in 7.8 % of patients receiving standard of care and 3.7 % of patients receiving
standard of care plus capnography
|
[12]
|
Hypotension
|
1.052 (0.51 – 2.14)
|
0.37
|
Occurred in 4.0 % of patients receiving standard of care and 4.2 % of patients receiving
standard of care plus capnography
|
[12]
|
Respiratory failure
|
0.215 (NA)
|
0.11
|
Calculated from the OR of 17.6 for increased detection of respiratory depression,
and assumes that after identification of an event 10 % can be avoided
|
[30]
|
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; NA, not applicable; SE, standard error
False positives
The model accounted for interventions and time associated with false-positive events.
As these events were false positives, potential interventions were restricted to supplemental
oxygen and airway repositioning. In the clinical trial by Qadeer et al., 35 of the
263 patients assessed with capnography erroneously presented with apnea [14]. The probability of pseudo apnea was thus 0.1331. In the meta-analysis by Waugh
et al., 71 false-positive and 157 true-negative events were reported, giving a false-positive
probability of 0.3114 with capnography monitoring [30]. This study analyzed multiple definitions of respiratory compromise and the probability
(0.3114) is thus assumed to include the probability of pseudo apnea (0.1331) and was
adjusted to 0.1783 (0.3114−0.1331). Given the multiple AEs definitions included, the
probability was assigned to airway obstruction.
Costs
Model costs included the purchase of hardware and disposables, interventions, healthcare
professional time (in the procedure and for monitor training and maintenance), and
outcomes. All costs are presented in 2014 USD. Where costs were provided in earlier
years, these values were inflated to 2014 USD using inflation rates provided by US
Bureau of Labor Statistics [31]. [Table 2] lists the costs of interventions and also includes the time required for each intervention.
The costs for healthcare professional time (per hour) were obtained from analysis
of the Premier Database for years 2012 – 2013, with the exception of “other” which
was taken from Couloures et al. 2011 [32]. The Premier database (Premier Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina) includes data on
approximately 20 % of all US hospitalizations annually. It includes all International
Classification of Diseases-9th Revision-Clinical Modification diagnosis and procedure
codes recorded by the hospital, as well as a limited set of Current Procedural Terminology-4. The
discharge-level data also include hospital resource utilization and charges/costs
(for all payers).
As no data were available, the mean (standard deviation, SD) cost of death, premature
termination, and hospital admission was assumed to be USD 5,000 (1,000). A mean (SD)
cost of a legal claim was assumed to be USD 25,000 (5,000), and damages (if paid)
were taken from the midpoint of the interquartile range presented by Ferguson et al.,
[33] USD 225,000 (45,000).
Purchase of a pulse oximetry monitor was assumed to be at no cost, whereas capnography
cost USD 4,000 per monitor and USD 16 per procedure for disposables (double that for
pulse oximetry at USD 8.10). Both types of monitoring were associated with training
and maintenance requirements. Training for capnography was assumed to be 2 hours per
month per trained staff member, compared with 0.5 hours for pulse oximetry. Maintenance
and calibration was assumed to require 2 hours of time per month from one technician
(“other”).
Base case analysis
In addition to data presented previously, the base case scenario uses the following
parameters: time horizon of 1 year, a cohort of 8,000 patients, four monitors/rooms
in use, 16 staff trained to use the monitoring equipment, and three staff present
during the procedure.
Sensitivity analyses
The model supports one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses, which were programmed
in Excel using Visual Basic for Applications. For each simulation in the probabilistic
sensitivity analyses, every model input parameter was set at random, with the value
for each parameter for each simulation sampled from a distribution. For each parameter,
a distribution was defined by the mean (base case value) and a measure of its variance
(standard deviation or standard error). A value between zero and one is then sampled
from a uniform distribution and used to identify the parameter value for the simulation
through lookup on the cumulative distribution function.
In most cases a normal distribution was used to represent each input parameter, the
exceptions being ratios that were sampled from log-normal distributions. Through probabilistic
sensitivity analyses the variability in model parameters and their influence on model
outcomes can be explored. Results are presented for 5,000 simulations as the median
and 95 % credible interval (CrI). A 95 % CrI is the range within which 95 % of results
lie, with the bottom 2.5 % and the top 2.5 % of results excluded. In this way it captures
all “reasonable” results. It differs from a confidence interval about the mean (which
indicates the range within which the mean of the true distribution could lie), as
it is not a summary measure of the distribution but describes the full range of results.
The CrI is particularly suited to modelling outcomes because it does not require normally
distribution of data for it to be valid.
One-way sensitivity analyses assessed the robustness of model outcomes to changes
in the unit cost of items. A further analysis was undertaken to evaluate the impact
of capnography during moderate PSA. In this scenario, event rates and odds ratios
(supplementary material) were updated to reflect those in the studies focused on moderate
sedation and the patient population was split equally between ASA class I and II [34]
[35]
[36].
Results
Base case
The addition of capnography to pulse oximetry monitoring during PSA results in an
overall reduction in AEs. Over the whole cohort, 1,134 AEs were avoided in the capnography
arm ([Table 4]). Apnea was the most commonly avoided AE with capnography. There were also substantial
reductions in the number of desaturation events in the cohort with capnography monitoring.
Two AEs exhibited an increase in occurrence with capnography: 30 additional hypotension
and 83 additional bradycardia events. In terms of patients experiencing AEs, the percentage
of those with an AE was 34.18 % with pulse oximetry monitoring and 24.89 % with capnography
(absolute reduction 9.29 %; relative reduction 27.18 %).
Table 4
Events avoided with capnography and the number needed to treat.
Parameter
|
Base case events avoided with capnography, n[1]
|
Base case number needed to treat, n
|
Probabilistic sensitivity analyses, median number needed to treat (95 % CrI)
|
Adverse event
|
|
|
|
Airway obstruction
|
0
|
#N/A
|
−26 (−7,573; 6605)
|
Apnea
|
564
|
14
|
15 (5; 91)
|
Aspiration
|
0
|
#N/A
|
−1,176 (−426,551; 468,692)
|
Bradycardia
|
– 83
|
– 96
|
−32 (−691; 534)
|
Desaturation ( < 90 %)
|
356
|
22
|
25 (8; 159)
|
Desaturation ( < 85 %)
|
310
|
26
|
29 (7; 202)
|
Hypotension
|
– 30
|
– 270
|
−14 (−554; 553)
|
Respiratory failure
|
17
|
458
|
451 (74; 2,952)
|
Any adverse event
|
1134
|
7
|
8 (2; 57)
|
Adverse outcome
|
|
|
|
Anesthesiologist intervention
|
5
|
1,613
|
1960 (−5,143; 21,125)
|
Mortality
|
0
|
1,738,205
|
2094526 (−5,992,418; 22,877,360)
|
Premature termination
|
7
|
1,109
|
1323 (−3,344; 14,776)
|
Unplanned admission
|
1
|
5,915
|
7073 (−17,831; 79,074)
|
Any adverse outcome
|
14
|
591
|
703 (−1,877; 7,409)
|
Abbreviation: CrI, credible interval.
1 Events avoided in a cohort of 8,000 patients; value rounded to the nearest integer.
Negative value indicate additional events with capnography.
The NNT to avoid one AE with the addition of capnography was seven ([Table 4]), while the NNT to avoid one adverse outcome, 591, was much larger. Although no
single mortality event was avoided in the base case cohort, estimates indicated that
capnography would result in a reduction in patient mortality, with one event avoided
every 1.7 million procedures. Due to the lower incidence of AEs, the addition of capnography
was associated with a mean reduction in procedure time.
Adding capnography during PSA was estimated to reduce the cost per procedure by USD
85 (USD 156 versus USD 241). Because capnography reduced the number of AEs and resulted
in cost savings compared with pulse oximetry alone, the analysis indicated that capnography
was dominant to standard of care. In this analysis, cost-effectiveness was influenced
by the cohort size because procurement costs were distributed over the number of procedures
performed. In a breakeven analysis, capnography increased the mean cost per procedure
if ≤ 294 procedures were undertaken, whereas cost savings were realized from procedure
number 295 onwards.
Sensitivity analyses
Examining the robustness of cost outcomes through probabilistic sensitivity analyses,
the median outcome was a cost saving of USD 75 with a 95 % CrI of −10 to 302 ([Fig. 3]). Overall, the addition of capnography dominated standard of care in 4,483 of 5,000
simulations (89.7 %). There were 498 simulations (10.0 %) in which capnography was
associated with an increase in the mean cost; in this subset of simulations, the cost
per AE avoided with capnography was USD 2,165. Examining cost drivers through one-way
sensitivity analyses, the majority of cost items had only a small influence on the
cost differential between pulse oximetry and capnography (supplementary material).
Doubling the price of the capnography monitor decreased the cost saving by only 2.3 %.
Fig. 3 Median (95 % credible interval) cost saving associated with capnography monitoring
under different scenarios, n = 5,000 simulations for each. Negative cost savings reflect
a cost increase.
Abbreviations: AE, adverse event; ASA, American Society for Anesthesia; BMI, body
mass index; USD, United States Dollar.
Because time required for interventions was an assumed value, an analysis in which
that value was set to zero was undertaken. The cost saving associated with capnography
was reduced by less than 1 USD in this test. Overall, assumptions in the model had
little impact on model outcomes. In a scenario in which AEs were associated with no
costs, capnography increased the median cost per procedure by USD 6 ( [Fig.3]). This value was USD 16 if legal costs and damages were also excluded from the model.
The addition of capnography monitoring would, however, still likely be considered
cost effective at USD 96 per AE avoided in this scenario. Obesity is becoming an increasing
global problem and higher BMI is associated with a higher rate of AEs [28] To explore how obesity influences the model, the mean cohort BMI was increased to
30 and 35 kg/m2, which resulted in significant cost savings, median USD 129 (95 % CrI, 8 to 378)
and USD 206 (95 % CrI, 43 to 462), respectively.
Outside of cost differentials, probabilistic sensitivity analyses demonstrated that
capnography monitoring has important implications for patient safety. The median NNT
to prevent one AE with capnography monitoring was 8 (95 % CrI, 2 to 72, [Table 4]). Significant reductions in AEs were also identified, with desaturation < 90 %,
desaturation < 85 %, and respiratory failure requiring a median NNT of 24, 28, and
432, respectively. There was no significant increase in any AE with capnography monitoring.
When event rates reflecting moderate PSA were used, capnography was associated with
an 18.0 % reduction in the percentage of patients experiencing an AE. The cost-saving
was reduced relative to deep PSA, being USD 55 in the base case and a median of USD
36 (95 % CrI, −96 to 247) under probabilistic sensitivity analysis. The NNT to avoid
any AE was not significant for moderate PSA, median 6 (95 % CrI, −59 to 92). Although
the credible intervals were wide, 79.9 % and 68.0 % of the 5,000 simulations resulted
in a reduced number of AEs and a cost saving with capnography, respectively. Significant
reductions were found for severe desaturation, the median NNT being 17 (95 % CrI,
4 to 307).
Discussion
The developed model provides a comprehensive representation of PSA, accounting for
patient characteristics, the monitoring environment, AEs, and the time and cost required
to treat these events. Furthermore, the impact of events on outcomes is considered.
Although capnography is associated with an upfront cost burden in terms of both acquisition
costs and staff training time, over 1 year, these costs were completely offset. The
model estimates that capnography was cost saving in the base case, and cost saving
or cost-effective under a number of other scenarios. The cost per procedure with pulse
oximetry estimated by the model (USD 241) is in line with previously published values.
An imaging procedure with PSA was estimated to be USD 230 – 256 in 2000 [37]. A randomized, controlled trial found that the cost of an esophagogastroduodenoscopy
with PSA was USD 512, but that included USD 260 of room and recovery room costs not
captured in the current model [38]. Consistency of outcomes with these earlier studies is encouraging and supports
the clinical utility of estimates derived from this analysis.
Our study found that the addition of capnography to the normal monitoring avenues
of pulse oximetry, blood pressure, electrocardiography and visual assessment led to
a 27.2 % decrease in the number of AEs with deep PSA. This included both apnea and
hypoxia. An important finding of the study was that the decrease in AEs was also seen
in endoscopic procedures targeting moderate sedation, which has been a point of controversy
due to the previous lack of data. Because the vast majority of cardiopulmonary AEs
are precipitated by ventilation abnormalities or hypoxia, the number needed to treat
for these outcomes (8 for hypoxia and 15 for apnea) appears to be an appropriate investment
to avoid AEs for both moderate sedation as well as deeper levels of sedation. Furthermore,
a recent study on consecutive anesthesia patients found that perioperative hypoxia
was associated with increased length of time in hospital [39] From a population-based perspective, the addition of capnography may have multiple
advantages and in this analysis, it led to costs savings through its ability to prevent
significant AEs and the costs associated with them.
As with all health economic analyses, there are limitations to this study. Respiration
can also be monitored using technology such as chest impedance and acoustic airflow;
as no head-to-head trials have been performed, the comparative effectiveness of the
technologies is unknown and is not included in this model. Furthermore, not all AEs
are equal in terms of cost and severity. The model described accounts for cost but
not severity of AEs. The reason for this being that no patient quality of life data
were available to inform the model. In terms of AE severity, reductions in mortality,
respiratory failure, and severe desaturation are most important from both a patient
and provider standpoint.
In developing a comprehensive model of PSA, notably a number of parameters supported
by the model could not be sourced from published sources. The percentage of patients
experiencing an AE varies considerably between studies, likely due to differences
in study design and endpoint definitions. To make comparisons between monitoring strategies,
the number of patients experiencing an AE was required. This value in the model was
restricted due to the rates of AEs used, being mathematically constrained to between
13.58 % and 55.24 % in adults. A further key assumption is that the mean number of
AEs experienced per patient is the same for both standard-of-care monitoring and capnography
monitoring. The impact of assumptions on model outcomes was tested through sensitivity
analyses. The fact that results remained relatively consistent provides support to
the validity of the model and the robustness of conclusions drawn from it. Still,
the model is populated with data on gastroendoscopy and results presented should not
be assumed to apply to all aspects of PSA.
Overall, estimates from this modeling analysis indicate that capnography can reduce
the incidence of AEs and increase patient safety during PSA at no or relatively insignificant
extra cost. Concerns regarding the additional cost of capnography during PSA are therefore
likely to be unfounded for gastroendoscopy. Outcomes are, however, derived from a
model and additional data from clinical studies that collect direct costs would be
advantageous in further informing decisions in this area. Most appropriate would be
the collection of costs during a randomized, controlled trial. Whether such a study
is feasible given the patient numbers required to observe sufficient adverse outcomes
is debatable. Only clinical trials enrolling over 500 patients have been able to identify
respiratory failure and the need for assisted ventilation [12]. Early identification and reduced need for intervention identified recently for
capnography highlights the potential to reduce failure to rescue [20], which could have an important impact on cost-effectiveness. Based on currently
available data, this health economic analysis demonstrated that capnography is likely
to add to patient safety and reduce costs during PSA. Given that cost concerns were
central to resistance to including capnography monitoring in guidelines for PSA [21], it may now be time to revisit this discussion.
Conclusions
Estimates from this modeling analysis suggest that capnography monitoring during endoscopy
is likely to be cost-effective versus standard-of-care monitoring. In the base case
it was cost saving due to the reduction in AEs. The reduction in AEs with capnography
monitoring indicates that outside of cost differentials, capnography monitoring has
important applications to patient safety during endoscopy. Given these estimates,
it may be time to revisit the question of adding capnography monitoring to standard
of care during PSA for endoscopy.
Supplementary material
1. Structured literature search in PubMed
Literature searches were performed on May 05, 2014 and formed part of a larger research
project. With respect to literature informing model development, title and abstract
screening of returned articles was performed by RS, with articles presenting original
research involving sedation and/or capnography retained for full-text review ([Table 5]).
Table 5
PubMed search strategy.
Search
|
Target
|
Search terms
|
Hits
|
#1
|
All English language, human research published on or after January 1, 2008
|
(("2008 /01 /01"[PDAT] : "2014 /05 /01"[PDAT]) AND English[lang] NOT Animals[MeSH:noexp])
|
4,212,295
|
#2
|
Literature focused on airway management or sedation/analgesia
|
#1 AND (Capnography[MAJR] OR Airway Management [MAJR] OR Intubation[MAJR] OR Oximetry[MESH]
OR Sedat*[tiab] OR Analgesi* [tiab] OR “end tidal”[tiab] OR “end-tidal”[tiab])
|
40,354
|
#3
|
Literature presenting information on adverse events
|
#2 AND (Apnea[MESH] OR Hypoventilation[MESH] OR hypocapnia[mesh] OR "Respiratory Distress
Syndrome"[MESH] OR Adverse[tiab] OR Hospitalization*[tiab] OR ((Patient[tiab] OR Airway[tiab])
AND Monitoring[tiab]))
|
6,928
|
#4
|
Those articles focused on monitoring and patient safety
|
#3 AND (Patient Safety[MESH] OR "Carbon Dioxide/blood"[MESH] OR Monitoring[MESH] OR
Risk Assessment[MESH] OR Oxygen/blood[MESH] OR Protocol[tiab] OR Guideline[tiab] OR
Education[tiab])
|
929
|
2. Procedures represented in the model
Data sources for adverse events, the impact of capnography monitoring, and legal claims
cover multiple types of gastrointestinal procedures, endoscopies, and sedation practices:
-
Anesthesia [47]
-
Colonoscopy [48]
[49]
[50]
-
Endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography [51]
[52]
-
Endoscopic ultrasonography [51]
[52]
-
Endoscopy [50]
[53]
[54]
-
Esophagogastroduodenoscopy [49]
-
Procedural sedation in general [55]
[56]
[57]
[58]
-
Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy [50]
[51]
3. Assessing the quality of clinical trials
Assessment of article quality was done using a modified Jadad scale, whereby additional
criteria were included to make the score specific to patient monitoring. The Jadad
scale assesses trial design and reporting, with high score of 5. In addition, we considered
the reporting of patient inclusion/exclusion criteria, endpoint criteria, the location
of sedation and the staff responsible for patient monitoring. Overall, the maximal
score was 8 (high quality) ([Table 6]).
Table 6
Details of returned clinical trials and analysis of study quality.
Study
|
Country
|
Modified Jadad
|
Potential for bias
|
Hospital setting
|
N (SoC, Cap)
|
Beitz 2012 [48]
|
Germany
|
5.5
|
High: 3
|
Colonoscopy
|
757 (374, 383)
|
Lightdale 2006
|
US
|
8
|
Low: 0
|
Endoscopy
|
163 (80, 83)
|
Qadeer 2009 [52]
|
US
|
7.5
|
Moderate: 1
|
ERCP and EUS
|
247 (124, 123)
|
4. Selection of odds ratios
Lightdale 2006 scored highest for study quality, but is specific to pediatric procedures
and so data were derived from Qadeer 2009 and Beitz 2012. As Beitz 2012 enrolled a
larger number of patients and was more recent, it was given priority over Qadeer 2009
if both presented data for the same endpoint. As, compared with Beitz 2012, Qadeer
2009 provided lower odds ratios for each endpoint, using data from this study would
benefit capnography. ([Table 7]).
Table 7
Details of odds ratio (95 % CI) for capnography relative to standard of care by study.
Study
|
Apnea
|
Desaturation < 90 %
|
Desaturation < 85 %
|
Hypotension
|
Bradycardia
|
Beitz 2012 [48]
|
|
0.58 (0.39; 0.86)
|
0.45 (0.23; 0.87)
|
1.04 (0.51; 2.14)
|
1.15 (0.69; 1.9)
|
Lightdale 2006
|
0.69 (0.35; 1.37)
|
|
|
|
|
Qadeer 2009 [52]
|
0.42 (0.25; 0.7)
|
0.38 (0.23; 0.64)
|
0.4 (0.22; 0.75)
|
|
|
5. Calculating the odds ratio (OR)
95 % CI = eln(OR)±1.96 SE (ln[OR])
As uncertainty around the OR has a log‑normal distribution, variation around these
parameters is explored in sensitivity analyses using sampling from a log‑normal distribution
with a mean of the OR and variance described by the standard error (SE) of the natural
log of the OR.
6. The odds of respiratory compromise
The OR for respiratory compromise was estimated from a meta-analysis. The analysis
by Waugh et al. found that capnography monitoring was 17.6 times more likely to detect
respiratory AEs compared with standard of care monitoring.[58] Capnography detected 75 of 94 respiratory events, a probability of detection of
0.798. Working under the assumptions that only detected events can be prevented and
that 10 % of detected events are prevented, the OR for prevention of an event with
capnography was calculated to be 0.2152. The standard error about this OR was assumed
to be 50 % of the OR, or 0.1076.
Probability of detection with capnography, is taken from Waugh et al. [58]:
OR for detection with capnography, OR(cap) = 17.6, uses the OR presented by from Waugh
et al.
[58] and uses the random effects model.
OR for detection with SoC, OR(SoC) = e-ln OR(cap) = 0.0568, conversion of the OR to standard of care (pulse oximetry only)
Assume that 10 % of detected events can be prevented:
Calculation of the OR for pulse oximetry plus capnography relative to standard of
care:
The OR for an event with capnography did not vary considerably if the assumption regarding
the percentage of detected events avoided was adjusted between 2 % and 50 %. Using
2 % the OR was 0.2268, whereas with an assumption of 50 % the OR was 0.1519.
7. False positives
The model accounts for interventions and time associated with false positive events.
As these events are false positives, potential interventions were restricted to supplemental
oxygen and airway repositioning. In the clinical trial by Qadeer et al., 35 of the 263 patients assessed with capnography erroneously presented with apnea.[52] The probability of pseudo apnea was thus 0.1331. In the meta-analysis by Waugh et
al., 71 false positive and 157 true negative events were reported, giving a false
positive probability of 0.3114 with capnography monitoring.[58] This study analyzed multiple definitions of respiratory compromise, the probability
(0.3114) is thus assumed to include the probability of pseudo apnea (0.1331) and was
adjusted to 0.1783 (0.3114−0.1331). Given the multiple AEs definitions included in
this study, the probability was assigned to airway obstruction.
8. Patient cohort
The mean cohort characteristics of the model population are derived from two US based
studies [49]
[52] ([Table 8]).
Table 8
Studies used to calculate the base case patient population.
Mean cohort characteristic
|
Qadeer et al. control arm, n = 383
|
Qadeer et al. intervention arm, n = 374
|
Mehta et al. STOP‑BANG < 3, n = 125
|
Mehta et al STOP BANG ≥ 3, n = 118
|
Model
|
Age, years (SD)
|
60.6 (14.3)
|
60.8 (14.4)
|
44.4 (16.1)
|
56.3 (14.1)
|
55.5 (14.8)
|
Male, %
|
50.4
|
49.2
|
28.8
|
53.4
|
45.3 (10.0)[1]
|
BMI, kg/m2 (SD)
|
26.2 (5.6)
|
26.5 (5.8)
|
24.0 (4.7)
|
28.3 (7.2)
|
26.2 (5.9)
|
ASA class I, %
|
7.3
|
7.3
|
3.2
|
1.7
|
4.9 (10.0)[1]
|
ASA class II, %
|
69.9
|
69.4
|
36.8
|
25.4
|
50.6
|
ASA class III, %
|
22.8
|
23.4
|
60.0
|
72.9
|
44.5
|
ASA class IV, %
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1 A standard deviation of 10 was assumed for binary characteristics. ASA, American
Society of Anesthesiologists; BMI, Body mass index; SD, Standard Deviation. Sources:
Mehta et al. 2014 [49] and Qadeer et al. 2009. [52]
9. Combination of odds ratios
ORs cannot be simply combined, and their combination assumes their independence. In
the model, ORs are combined via log transformation. A worked example for calculating
the OR for adverse events within the cohort follows:
where ORx is the OR associated with risk factor X (rfX), Cx is the cohort value for
rfX, Rx is the reference value for rfX from the originating study, and Dx is the denominator
for rfX, e. g. 2 if the OR is per increase of 2 in rfX. These factors combine to provide
an estimate of ORAE, the OR of having an adverse event. To convert this value to an OR per adverse event,
the log transformation of ORAE is divided through by the mean number of adverse events per patient. Taking the exponential
of the results provides the OR for adverse events per adverse event in this cohort.
10. Dependency of data
Data on risk factors linked to the likelihood of adverse events were often taken from
independent studies. It is assumed that these data can be combined as independent
entities, i. e. that their constituent analyses do not overlap. For example, the risk
of adverse events associated with BMI is taken from the study by Wani et al. and the risk of adverse events associated with ASA class is taken from Enestvedt
et al.; the assumption is that there is no association between BMI and ASA class [59]
[60]. In the context of the procedure setting, risk is modulated by the monitoring operator
and the location of the procedure. Rather than assume independence of these risk factors,
the model allows for selection of a primary risk factor (which defaults to the operator)
and provision of a weighting factor to describe the proportion of risk from parameter
A that is covered by parameter B. The default weight is set to 0.6.
11. Moderate sedation
For moderate sedation, the model was informed by publications specific to moderate
sedation, where data were available. For all other items, data from the original model
was retained. To model moderate sedation the following model parameters were updated
in line with the provided reference for moderate sedation: [Table 9]
Table 9
Changes in model parameters to reflect moderate sedation.
Parameter
|
Value
|
Reference
|
ASA class (I/II/III, IV), %
|
50/50/0/0
|
Assumed due to moderate sedation
|
Patients with an AE, %
|
26.5
|
Mean rate over both arms [61]
|
Event rates
|
|
|
Bradycardia
|
0.020
|
Mean rate over both arms [61]
|
Desaturation (< 90 %)
|
0.252
|
Mean rate over both arms [61]
|
Desaturation ( < 85 %)
|
0.086
|
Ratio of < 90 to < 85 [62]
|
Hypotension
|
0.072
|
Mean rate over both arms [61]
|
Respiratory compromise
|
0.000063
|
[63]
|
Unplanned admission
|
0.00027
|
[63]
|
Odds ratios
|
|
|
Apnea
|
0.72 (0.42; 1.22)
|
[61]
|
Desaturation < 90 %
|
0.9 (0.54; 1.51)
|
[61]
|
Desaturation < 85 %
|
0.24 (0.09; 0.62)
|
[61]
|
BMI
|
1.08 (NA)
|
[61]
|
12. One-way sensitivity analyses
One-way sensitivity analyses were used to assess the impact of changes in unit costs
on model outcomes. The majority of cost items have only a small influence on the cost
differential between standard of care monitoring and capnography monitoring. Items
that reduce the cost saving associated with capnography by > 10 % are increasing the
cost of connector lines by a factor of 2.5 and reducing the cost of either positive
pressure ventilation or nasal airway by a factor of 2.5 and 4, respectively ( [Fig. S1]). The cost differential would be increased by > 10 % through a reduction in the
cost of connector lines, and increase in the cost of positive pressure ventilation,
nasal airway, premature termination, and damages.
Figure S1 Cost items that influence the cost saving with capnography by ≥ 10 %.