OBJECTIVES: The GORE® VIATORR® TIPS Endoprosthesis is widely used in patients for the treatment of portal hypertension and its complications such as refractory ascites in Spain and the U.K. Two key economic evaluations have demonstrated how the GORE® VIATORR® TIPS Endoprosthesis is cost-saving. However, limited information is known about the resource consumption in both nations. The aim of this analysis was to highlight similarities and differences in resource consumption when using the GORE® VIATORR® TIPS Endoprosthesis in the two major European countries, Spain and the U.K.

METHODS: For analysing resource consumption, two published markov models were compared within the U.K. and Spanish healthcare systems. Clinical parameters for both economic evaluations were derived from an updated published literature review. Costing information was gathered from national tariffs, existing literature and expert opinions.

RESULTS: The GORE® VIATORR® TIPS Endoprosthesis was estimated to have 28 less paracentesis cases at a two-year time frame across both nations. The GORE® VIATORR® TIPS Endoprosthesis also resulted in a reduction of 45 hospital bed days and a reduction of 14 hours of nurse professional time in the U.K. In Spain there was a reduction of 27 hospital bed days and a reduction of 58 hours of nurse healthcare professional time. Differences between the two countries were primarily driven due to proportions of patients seen as day cases which lead to differences in hospital days and nurse professional time.

CONCLUSIONS: From the Spanish and U.K. healthcare perspectives both economic analyses demonstrate resource savings in reduced hospital bed days and saved healthcare professional time at the two-year time frame. Despite differences in the structure of each healthcare system, this study illustrates the consistent resource benefits in both European countries. Further long-term studies are required in confirming the resource consumption benefits across more European nations.