Study: St. Jude’s CardioMEMS might not be cost-effective

St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ)’s CardioMEMS may not be a cost-effective solution for patients with congestive heart failure, according to a study from the non-profit Institute for Clinical and Economic Review in Boston. The group analyzed the cost effectiveness of St. Jude’s device, which consists of a wireless sensor implanted in the pulmonary artery via catheter to directly measure pressure in the vessel. The device is designed to help physicians manage patients’ medication to control their heart failure before visible changes to weight or blood pressure occur. In the report, the ICER suggests that the the CardioMEMS has the “potential to provide clinical benefit over standard approaches to CHF management.” However, when intervention costs and potential savings are evaluated on a population basis, the annual cost of the device “exceeds the potential budget impact threshold at which excessive cost burdens would be placed on the overall health care system,” according to the report. The group suggests the device, which costs $17,750, has a “value-based price benchmark” of merely $7,622 for treating CHF. The ICER report also  found there to be a “low certainty of a small net benefit” for the system compared to alternatives for managing the disorder, according to the report. The group questioned the device’s impact on mortality and its performance in a setting outside the Champion trial it was tested in. ̶...
Source: Mass Device - Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Tags: Cardiac Implants Cardiovascular Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) St. Jude Medical Source Type: news