Cost-Effectiveness of Surveillance for Bloodstream Infections for Sepsis Management in Low-Resource Settings.

Cost-Effectiveness of Surveillance for Bloodstream Infections for Sepsis Management in Low-Resource Settings. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2015 Jul 14; Authors: Penno EC, Baird SJ, Crump JA Abstract Bacterial sepsis is a leading cause of mortality among febrile patients in low- and middle-income countries, but blood culture services are not widely available. Consequently, empiric antimicrobial management of suspected bloodstream infection is based on generic guidelines that are rarely informed by local data on etiology and patterns of antimicrobial resistance. To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of surveillance for bloodstream infections to inform empiric management of suspected sepsis in low-resource areas, we compared costs and outcomes of generic antimicrobial management with management informed by local data on etiology and patterns of antimicrobial resistance. We applied a decision tree model to a hypothetical population of febrile patients presenting at the district hospital level in Africa. We found that the evidence-based regimen saved 534 more lives per 100,000 patients at an additional cost of $25.35 per patient, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $4,739. Although this number compares favorably to standard cost-effectiveness thresholds, it should ultimately be compared with other relevant policy-relevant alternatives to determine whether routine surveillance for bloodstream infections is a cost-effective strategy ...
Source: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene - Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Tags: Am J Trop Med Hyg Source Type: research