Comparison of the Direct Costs, Length of Recovery, and Incidence of Post Operative Anti-Emetic use After Anesthesia Induction with Propofol or a 1: Mixture of Thiopental and Propofol

摘要

The modern anesthesia provider must consider drug costs as important as benefits and risks when choosing which drug to use in an anesthetic. Thiopental has been the gold standard for an IV induction drug although propofol shows a better recovery profile with less post-operative nausea and vomiting, but at a higher cost. We attempted to determine if a 1:1 volume mixture of thiopental and propofol would show a similar recovery profile compared to propofol alone, but at a lower cost. This study examined the records of 212 surgery patients receiving propofol (n=82) or a 1:1 mixture (n=130) for demographic, peri-operative, PACU recovery, anti-emetic use, and cost data. We found that the propofol group had significantly more females, postoperative anti-emetic use, and induction drug costs, while the 1:1 mixture group had significantly longer surgery and anesthesia times. Mean post-operative anti- emetic drug costs were statistically significant (P<0.05) at $3.15 for the propofol group and $1.08 for the 1:1 mixture group. The mean cost of induction for the propofol group was $27.31 and $14.31 for the 1:1 mixture group, a statistically significant (P<0.05) difference of $13.09. The average recovery time for the propofol group was 134 minutes and cost $1205.37, and for the 1:1 mixture group 147 minutes and cost $1320.03. Thus, the difference in PACU charges was $114.66. This research suggests that the 1:1 mixture of thiopental and propofol produced a similar recovery profile to propofol alone, but at a lower direct cost. This study supported previous work, and recommends that further research be done to confirm its findings.