OBJECTIVES: Persistent air leaks after lung resection surgery often lead to increased complications including longer length of hospital stay and subsequent treatment costs. A PEG hydrogel sealant (PleuraSeal™) is used as an adjunct to standard closure of pleural air leaks during lung resection surgery and has demonstrated shorter hospitalizations (1.7 days fewer) and more rapid removal of chest tubes in clinical studies when compared with standard of care (e.g. staples and sutures alone). Our study was designed to estimate the potential cost offsets for using PleuraSeal™ compared with standard of care in 100 hypothetical patients from a UK hospital who had an air leak after lung resection surgery using the cost offset from shorter hospital stays balanced against the cost for PleuraSeal™. METHODS: We assumed the cost for PleuraSeal™ to be £360 per treatment applied to all 100 hypothetical patients compared with no added cost for standard of care. We then balanced the added cost for PleuraSeal™ with the reduction in number of hospital days and subsequent costs compared with standard of care (£280/day @1.7 days fewer per patient) and calculated the potential cost offsets for PleuraSeal™. RESULTS: A hospital with 100 lung resection surgery patients with air leaks can expect to save £11,588, or approximately £17 per patient when compared to standard of care as patients who had air leaks stayed in hospital an average of 1.7 days longer than those without air leaks. CONCLUSIONS: The cost for PleuraSeal™ is completely offset by the shorter length of hospital stay compared with standard of care. PleuraSeal™ is a compelling option for hospitals who perform lung resection surgeries as the cost of the treatment is completely offset by the reduction in air leaks and subsequent hospital stay.