OBJECTIVES: To identify the economic impact of using the Validated Intraoperative Bleeding Scale (VIBe-SCALE) in Cardiovascular, Vascular and Thoracic surgeries in US hospitals.

METHODS: A Retrospective review of data from 72 Cardiovascular, Vascular and Thoracic surgeries performed August – December 2018, at multiple US Hospitals was performed to determine the economic impact of transfusion costs with the utilization of VIBe-SCALE. A 1000 iterations following a uniform distribution for blood product usage and normal distribution for blood product costs was performed to estimate a Budget Impact model that analyze the impact on the adoption of Active Hemostatics in Cardiovascular, Vascular and Thoracic procedures, in a 3-year scenario.

RESULTS: The average estimated blood loss (EBL) was 512 mL. Total blood products used included Packed Red Blood Cells 15U, Fresh Frozen Plasma and Platelets 10U, and Cryoprecipitate 52U. The average EBL for Cardiovascular was 10.52mL/min (VIBe-SCALE Grade 3), Vascular 7.98 mL/min and Thoracic 6.70 mL/min (VIBe-SCALE Grade 2). The average cost of blood products for VIBe-SCALE Grade 3 was $15,560 and Grade 2 $4,000. After 1,000 iterations, Blood Product costs were $949 per procedure. The VIBe-Scale Grade 3 cost was $12,137.

CONCLUSIONS: In the US, transfusing one unit of blood costs $700–$1200. High-risk bleeding surgeries cost $2,805-$17,279. Implementing VIBe-SCALE will likely improve surgical efficiency by selecting the optimal hemostatic agent to reduce intraoperative and postoperative bleeding and reduce transfusion costs.