Aim: The aim of this economic analysis is to investigate whether closed incision Negative Pressure Therapy (ciNPT) reduces the rate of post operative resource costs following median sternotomy when compared with Standard Of Care

(SOC).

Method: A hypothetical cost-benefit model, using clinical outcomes of a previous multi-center retrospective comparative cohort trial, was generated using UK national resource costs. The trial compared the use of ciNPT and SOC on patients who underwent cardiac surgery via median sternotomy.

Results: The multi-center retrospective comparative trial included collected data on a total of 5,288 cardiothoracic patients, across 3 UK acute hospitals. Using 4 identified risk factors (age, BMI, COPD, and diabetes), the groups were propensity matched, which resulted in a total of 1,532 patients. Each treatment group consisted of 766 ciNPT patients and 766 SOC patients. Of the control group, 119 patients had a Surgical Site Infection (SSI) at a rate of 15.5%. Comparatively, the ciNPT group had 43 SSI patients at a rate of 5.6%. This difference in SSI was statistically significant (p= 0.0001). A cost-benefit analysis showed that the ciNPT had a per-procedure cost reduction of £1,852.37, related to the reduced mean cost of an SSI. For reference, the mean attributable cost of an SSI in a cardiothoracic setting in the UK is £21,644.57.

Conclusion: The preliminary findings of the hypothetical economic analysis show potential resource savings with the use of ciNPT in high-risk patients following cardiac surgery via median sternotomy.

Rona Lee Suelo Calanao qualified in nursing in 1998, finishing with honors from West Visayas State University in the Philippines. In 2024, she further advanced her education in receiving her post graduate diploma in cardiothoracic surgery from the Royal College of Surgeons. She has been working as a surgical care practitioner in cardiothoracic surgery for 8 years at Castlehill Hospital in Hull, United Kingdom. Prior to this pivotal role she has16 years of advanced nursing experience in multiple senior roles ranging from intensive care to neurosurgery. She has 4 compelling publications in the last 5 years and continues to drive the generation of high-quality evidence related to cardiac surgery in the UK. In addition, she is a key member of the British Association of Nursing in Cardiovascular Care (BANCC).