Cost-benefits of incorporating levosimendan into cardiac surgery practice: German base case.

Objective: To evaluate the cost-benefit of using levosimendan compared with dobutamine, in the perioperative treatment of patients undergoing cardiac surgery who require inotropic support.

Methods: A two-part Markov model was designed to simulate health-state transitions of patients undergoing cardiac surgery, and estimate the short- and long-term health benefits of treatment. Hospital length of stay (LOS), mortality, medication, and adverse events were key clinical- and cost-inputs.

Dexmedetomidine versus standard care sedation with propofol or midazolam in intensive care: an economic evaluation.

Introduction: Dexmedetomidine was shown in two European randomized double-blind double-dummy trials (PRODEX and MIDEX) to be non-inferior to propofol and midazolam in maintaining target sedation levels in mechanically ventilated intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Additionally, dexmedetomidine shortened the time to extubation versus both standard sedatives, suggesting that it may reduce ICU resource needs and thus lower ICU costs. Considering resource utilization data from these two trials, we performed a secondary, cost-minimization analysis assessing the economics of dexmedetomidine versus standard care sedation.

Economic evaluation of levosimendan versus dobutamine for the treatment of acute heart failure in Italy.

Introduction: Inodilators are the first-choice class of drugs for the treatment of acute heart failure (AHF). Levosimendan is a relatively recent inodilatory agent, presenting superior outcomes in comparison with traditional inotropes.

Methods: An economic evaluation of levosimendan for the treatment of AHF in Italy was performed.

Long-term effects of growth hormone therapy on patients with Prader-Willi syndrome.

Aim: To assess the effects of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment in children with Prader-Willi syndrome.

Design: A 1-year study and an observational follow-up visit 10 years later.

Methods: In 20 patients with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS): clinical assessment, laboratory tests, body composition analysis by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, sleep polygraphy, health-related quality of life assessed by 16D.

Cost-effectiveness of levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone (Stalevo) compared to standard care in UK Parkinson's disease patients with wearing-off.

Background And Methods: A Markov model was developed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone (LCE;Stalevo), in the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and end-of-dose motor fluctuations (wearing-off). LCE, with or without other antiparkinsonian medications, was compared to UK standard care, comprising traditional levodopa/ dopa-decarboxylase inhibitor (DDCI) with other antiparkinsonian medications (e.g.

Psychosocial adjustment and quality of life after renal transplantation in early childhood.

Psychosocial adjustment and quality of life has been reported good in children after a successful renal transplantation (Tx). There are, however, few reports of using standardized methods in evaluating these issues, particularly in small children. We investigated the psychosocial adjustment in 32 children at school age (mean 9.

Measuring health-related quality of life in women on hormone replacement therapy.

Hormone replacement therapy has been shown to effectively relieve postmenopausal symptoms. However, its impact on health-related quality of life is not well documented. There is no gold standard instrument available for measuring the effects of hormone replacement therapy on health-related quality of life of postmenopausal women.

Probabilistic sensitivity analysis for evaluating cost-utility of entacapone for Parkinson's disease.

The objective was to assess uncertainty in a cost-utility analysis of adjunct entacapone treatment with levodopa among Parkinson's disease patients by probabilistic sensitivity analysis using second-order simulation methods. The cost-effectiveness of two treatment alternatives of Parkinson's disease - levodopa with or without entacapone - was compared in a cost-utility analysis employing a Markov model. Monte Carlo simulation was used to quantify the uncertainty due to sampling variation.