Cost comparison of transcatheter and operative closures for patients with secundum atrial septal defects in Vietnam.

We aim to estimate and compare the costs of operative and transcatheter closure for patients with secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) in Vietnam. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study based on medical records of congenital heart diseases (CHD) patients in Da Nang Hospital, Vietnam from 2010 through 2015. All costs in this study were calculated according to a provider's perspective. All pricing data were converted into USD at the 2015 exchange rate. A total of 258 patients with secundum ASD were recruited in the study, including 35 patients treated by operative closure and 223 patients treated by transcatheter closure. The total treatment costs of the transcatheter closure group (US $3,107.9) were higher than those of the operative closure group (US $2,080.5). The cost of the procedure and medical supplies accounted for 67.3% of the total treatment cost in the operative closure group, while the cost of occlusion devices accounted for 62.2% of the total cost in the transcatheter closure group. Given the advantages of the transcatheter closure procedure, reducing occlusion device costs may increase the proportion of patients treated with this technique.