Comparison Of The Direct Costs, Length Of Recovery, And Incidence Of Post Operative Anti Emetic Use After Anesthesia Induction With Propofol Or A 1:1 Mixture Of Thiopental And Propofol

Abstract

Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. The modern anesthesia provider must consider drug costs as important as benefits and risks when choosing which drug to use in an anesthetic. Thiopental has been the gold standard for an IV induction drug although propofol shows a better recovery profile with less post-operative nausea and vomiting, but at a higher cost. We attempted to determine if a 1:1 volume mixture of thiopental and propofol would show a similar recovery profile compared to propofol alone, but at a lower cost. This study examined the records of 212 surgery patients receiving propofol (n=82) or a 1:1 mixture (n=130) for demographic, peri-operative, PACU recovery, anti-emetic use, and cost data. We found that the propofol group had significantly more females, postoperative anti-emetic use, and induction drug costs, while the 1:1 mixture group had significantly longer surgery and anesthesia times. Mean post-operative anti-emetic drug costs were statistically significant (P<0.05) at $3.15 for the propofol group and $1.08 for the 1:1 mixture group. The mean cost of induction for the propofol group was $27.31 and $14.31 for the 1:1 mixture group, a statistically significant (P<0.05) difference of $13.09. The average recovery time for the propofol group was 134 minutes and cost $1205.37, and for the 1:1 mixture group 147 minutes and cost $1320.03. Thus, the difference in PACU charges was $114.66. This research suggests that the 1:1 mixture of thiopental and propofol produced a similar recovery profile to propofol alone, but at a lower direct cost. This study supported previous work, and recommends that further research be done to confirm its findings. ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENT SUBJECT TERMS