Aim: The economic assessment of haemodialysis (HD) in a Unit of Artificial Kidney of a private clinic. More specifically, cost analysis of bicarbonate dialysis and haemodiafiltration is used.
Population Study: 120 patients with end – stage renal disease, undergoing HD in the Unit of Artificial Kidney of the clinic in 2006.
Material and Method: The demographic, clinical and economic characteristics were recorded from the files of patients. Data were collected by the finance management of the clinic with regards to the payroll of personnel, the capital and technological equipment, dampings, fixed costs and other consumables. Prices of 2006 were used and one HD session was considered as the unit of cost.
Results: The total cost of an HD session with haemodiafiltration surpasses by 30% of the method of bicarbonate dialysis. This important increase of cost is due to the additional sanitary material that is required in the particular method (bags and lines of haemodiafiltration).
Conclusions: HD is an especially expensive method regarding the treatment of end – stage renal disease patients, based on the use of innovative technologies. Similar analyses of economic evaluation are not fully documented, if they do not take into account of the clinical superiority and they do not attribute in terms of cost -effectiveness.
Key words: Economic Assessment, chronic Kidney disease, bicarbonate dialysis, haemodiafiltration
