A Comparison of Surgical Costs between Interval Laparoscopic Sterilization Techniques

Abstract

Study Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors associated with cost variability between laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy and tubal fulguration including operating room (OR) time, supply cost, total cost, and recovery time. Design Retrospective chart review. Setting Hospital-based operating room and outpatient surgery center at a community teaching hospital. Patients or Participants Total sample size was 1649 patients. Inclusion criteria were all patients who underwent laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy or tubal fulguration between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2019. Patients were excluded if any other procedure was performed at time of sterilization or if they were missing outcome data. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results Patient demographic data collected included patient age, body mass index, self-reported race, and ethnicity. Outcome data collected included OR time, OR cost, supply cost, total cost, recovery time, and post-operative pain. Cost data was adjusted for medical inflation. Total cost data did not include anesthesia or surgeon cost. When comparing laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy (n=342) to bilateral tubal fulguration (n=1307), salpingectomy cases had increased OR time, 71.9 minutes versus 55.5 minutes (p Conclusion Total procedure cost, including OR time and chargeable supply cost, was 45% more expensive for laparoscopic bilateral salpingectomy compared to tubal fulguration.