Cost-effectiveness of proton pump inhibitor therapy for acute peptic ulcer-related bleeding

Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of adjunctive oral and intravenous proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapies for patients with acute peptic ulcer-related bleeding of sufficient severity to warrant hospitalisation. Design: Cost-effectiveness investigation. Four clinical scenarios were considered: scenario 1, diagnostic endoscopy with oral PPI therapy; scenario 2, diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy with high-dose intravenous PPI therapy; scenario 3, diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy available with oral PPI therapy; and scenario 4, diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy (no PPI). Effectiveness was evaluated in terms of episodes of bleeding averted and quality-adjusted life years. Setting: University teaching hospital in the United States. Patients: Hospitalised patients with acute peptic ulcer bleeding. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Therapeutic endoscopy with high-dose intravenous PPI therapy (scenario 2) was the most cost-effective approach in terms of bleeding episode averted ($8,490 vs. $10,201 for scenario 1, $8,756 for scenario 3, and $12,459 for scenario 4) and per quality-adjusted life year ($4,810 vs. $5,533 for scenario 1, $4,946 for scenario 3, and $5,876 for scenario 4). The high-dose intravenous PPI scenario was the dominant approach as evidenced by both superior effectiveness and lower costs over the range of probability and cost variables used in the sensitivity analysis. However, the dominance would be lost if the purchase cost of the intravenous PPI was substantially higher than the baseline cost assumed in this investigation ($61 per 3-day course of therapy). Conclusion: High-dose intravenous PPI therapy in conjunction with therapeutic endoscopy is the most cost-effective approach for the management of hospitalized patients with acute peptic ulcer bleeding.