Record Status This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment from a member of INAHTA. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database. Citation Neyt M, Leroy R, Devos C, Van Brabandt H. Left ventricular assist devices in the treatment of end-stage heart failure. Brussels: Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE). KCE Reports 264. 2016 Authors' objectives A ventricular assist device is a medical device that supports the pumping function of the heart. This technique can be applied with different objectives:
- as a "bridge to recovery" or "bridge to decision" to give a weakened heart muscle some time to recover and/or to give the opportunity to make a decision about a possible heart transplant later on,
- as a "bridge to transplant" when a decision on a transplant already has been taken, but when a donor heart is not readily available, and
- as a definite alternative to heart transplantation.
In Belgium, there is a reimbursement for a limited number of these devices with a focus on "bridge to transplant". This HTA examines the safety, efficacy/effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of this technique if applied in one of the other two indications. Authors' conclusions RECOMMENDATIONS To the Minister for Public Health and the competent bodies at RIZIV – INAMI:
A heart assist device as destination therapy results in a significant improvement in life expectancy and an improvement in the quality of life in comparison with optimal medical treatment. Despite these clear benefits, the average cost effectiveness ratio is relatively high (€82 000 per QALY on average). From a health economic point of view, there are no arguments for an extension of the reimbursement to more than 50 LVADs per year. A social and ethical debate has to be conducted on the basis of these elements. Indexing Status Subject indexing assigned by CRD MeSH Cost-Benefit Analysis; Heart Failure; Heart-Assist Devices; Humans; Technology Assessment, Biomedical; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left Language Published English Country of organisation Belgium English summary There is no English language summary available. Address for correspondence Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE), Administrative Centre Botanique, Doorbuilding (10th floor), Boulevard du Jardin Botanique 55, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium tel: +32 2 287 33 88 fax: +32 2 287 33 85 Email: info@kce.fgov.be AccessionNumber 32016000651 Date abstract record published 27/04/2016 |