Costs results were presented as total costs and average cost per patient. Total cost for unfractionated heparin 5,000 units every eight hours was $410,128, an average cost per patient of $410.13. Total cost for dalteparin 5,000 units daily was $375,320, an average cost per patient of $375.32.
Event rates derived from the literature estimated that in the dalteparin group 1.9% of patients experienced proximal DVT, 0% of patients experienced nonfatal pulmonary embolism and 5.6% of patients experienced major bleeding. In the unfractionated heparin group, 2.7% of patients experienced proximal DVT, 1.8% of patients experienced nonfatal pulmonary embolism and 3.5% of patients experienced major bleeding.
Dalteparin was shown to result in lower costs and fewer thromboembolic events when compared with unfractionated heparin . The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio showed that $6,961.60 was saved for each thromboembolic event averted when treated with dalteparin.
Sensitivity analysis showed that at the lower range of venous thromboembolism and major bleeding events, unfractionated heparin would result in a cost savings of $5,142.89 per patient; at the higher range of venous thromboembolism and major bleeding events, dalteparin would result in a cost savings of $7,630.20 per patient. At the lower range of venous thromboembolism and major bleeding events dalteparin would be cost saving if the cost of the drug were $97 per day.
Cost per death avoided was $5,400 for unfractionated heparin and $7,800 for dalteparin.