OBJECTIVES: To perform a complete economic evaluation of the use of pre-connected, sterile, closed-system trays with safety seal junction (Advance Lubricath® Foley Catheter Tray®), in comparison with non-pre-connected component urinary drainage systems presently used in the Public Health Care System (PHCS) of Mexico.

METHODS: A cost-effectiveness analysis was developed through a decision tree, using a time horizon of 20 days. Costs were taken from the Institutional point of view, only direct medical costs included; the outcome was the percentage of patients who avoided an infection associated with the urinary catheter associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) with an incremental efficacy of 2% assumed with the pre-connected sterile (Willie,1993)(Galvan,2011). Efficacy rates and total costs were used to calculate ICER. Both deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed in order to analyze the uncertainty in the model.

RESULTS: In comparison with a non-preconnected urinary drainage system, the analysis demonstrates that the Advance Lubricath® Foley Catheter Tray® results in lower average total costs with greater clinical benefits. Specifically, assuming a cohort of 1000 patients, 20 infections are predicted to be avoided with Advance Lubricath® Foley Catheter Tray® as compared with the non-preconnected system. Furthermore, total per patient costs were predicted to be lower with the Advance Lubricath® Foley Catheter Tray® ($216.80 dlls) in comparison with the non-preconnected urinary drainage system ($219.13dlls), yielding a cost savings of $2.33 per patient ($2,330 per cohort of 1,000 patients).

CONCLUSIONS: The use of pre-connected urinary closed-system Advance Lubricath® Foley Catheter Tray®, was predicted to be a dominant option for the institutions of the PHCS in Mexico. These characteristics suggest that the use of pre-connected, closed-systems, with safety seal junctions designed to maintain the integrity of those closed systems, should be the “gold standard” for the treatment of the patients who require urinary catheterization for a long period time.