Reggiardo G, Aghina B, Landi F. Topical application of hyaluronic acid and amino acids in hard-to-heal wounds: a cost-effectiveness analysis.
J Wound Care 2024;
33:210-219. [PMID:
38573902 DOI:
10.12968/jowc.2024.33.4.210]
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this cost-effectiveness analysis was to estimate the monetary cost required to achieve a gain in health benefit. An analytic model to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a topical medical device comprising a mixture of hyaluronic acid and amino acids (HA+AA medical device) (Vulnamin, Professional Dietetics SpA, Italy) as compared to standard of care (SoC) for hard-to-heal (chronic) wounds is presented.
METHOD
Retrospective data was analysed from a cohort of patients as well as information from published literature. For each paper, the following information was extracted: number of patients enrolled in each treatment arm and the results of prespecified reviewed outcomes.
RESULTS
A total of six studies involving 378 patients were included in this pooled analysis. Findings showed that treatment with the HA+AA medical device has the potential to lower consumption of resources. With regards to wound healing, in both superficial and deep wounds, treatment benefits of the HA+AA medical device included: rapid wound size reduction; faster healing; reduction of dressing changes; reduced infection risk; and reduced treatment costs. Results showed the HA+AA medical device to be 32% more cost-effective than comparators in the treatment of hard-to-heal wounds (time horizon selected=six months).
CONCLUSION
The findings of this analysis showed that treatment with the HA+AA medical device is a valid alternative to SoC care because it is cheaper, and its utility and effectiveness are greater. In addition, the results of the analysis showed a direct relationship between the time to complete healing and the increase in costs (increasing the period of time to reach complete healing increases the costs associated with the treatment).
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