Abstract:
Background: Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) has been shown to improve outcome in stroke patients when used within 3 hours of stroke onset, and has been the standard treatment since 1996. However, the costs associated with this treatment is a main factor determining its utilization in many centers. Thailand is one of developing countries where limited resource is one of the factors for rtPA underutilization. Objective: To assess the cost-effectiveness of rtPA in Thailand. Materials and methods: Acute ischemic stroke patients who received rtPA and admitted to Chulalongkorn Hospital between January and December 2006 were collected. The control group was patients, with diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke, who presented within 3 to 9 hours of onset or those who presented within 3 hours but had medical contraindication for rtPA. Direct and indirect costs within 6 months were collected. Direct costs were hospitalization cost and medication cost for outpatient follow-up at 3 and 6 months. Indirect costs included nursing care and rehabilitation cost plus the patients income loss. Effectiveness was determined by comparing the admission modified Rankin Scale (mRS) to the 3 and 6 months mRS. Results: There were 20 patients in each group. There was significant improvement in mRS in the rtPA group compared to the control group at 3 months (1.7 vs 0.9; p=0.006) and 6 months (1.85 vs 1.05; p=0.009). The paired t test revealed no significant difference in hospitalization cost and total costs at 3 and 6 months between the two groups. For 1 point difference in mRS for 20 patients in the rtPA group, the costs were 334,155 baht higher at 3 months, and 254,975 baht higher at 6 months than the control group. Conclusion: The use of rtPA results in a statistically significant improvement in mRS. The cost difference is more than offset by the better functional outcome of the patients.