OBJECTIVES: Same™ is a new generation of intraoperative cell salvage (IOCS) or autotransfusion technology for hemorrhagic surgeries, capable of recovering not only red blood cells but also the patient's platelets, thanks to its filtration technology. This study aimed to develop an OBIM to demonstrate the economic and organizational benefits of same™ in cardio-thoracic surgery in France.

METHODS: An Excel-based model was developed to evaluate costs and benefits before and after the introduction of same™. This OBIM incorporated cost, epidemiology and efficacy parameters based on literature review, French registry data, same™ clinical studies and expert opinions. Costs were determined from two perspectives: the French Health Insurance and hospital. Deterministic and scenario sensitivity analyses were performed. The incremental budget impact was quantified in terms of annual cost per patient, annual cost per active file and organizational criteria such as the length of stay in the intensive care unit and the incidence of adverse events related to allogeneic blood products transfusion.

RESULTS: From a hospital perspective, considering 690 cardio-thoracic surgery patients each year, with 20% experiencing massive hemorrhage, 23% experiencing moderate hemorrhage and 57% non-transfused during their cardiac surgery, the same™ autotransfusion system yields an annual cost-saving of €36,500 in Year 1 (with a market share of 25% corresponding to 25% of patients treated with same™ technology) and €124,000 in Year 5 (with a market share of 85%). These savings are primarily attributed to the reduced use of allogeneic blood product transfusions with this system, compared to current cell salvage devices that only recover red blood cells.

CONCLUSIONS: The OBIM findings demonstrate the economic and organizational benefits of same™ compared with the standard technology currently used in hospitals. The adoption of same™ could lead to substantial cost savings and improved hospital and patient outcomes by reducing the dependency on allogeneic blood transfusions.