Cost Analysis of Intravenous Propofol Monotherapy versus Intravenous Combination Sedation in Patients Undergoing Outpatient Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

In outpatient gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy, for which postanesthesia care unit (PACU) stays are expected to be brief, sedative choices by anesthesia providers can affect costs. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the cost of propofol monotherapy compared with combination sedation consisting of propofol with any of the following: midazolam, fentanyl, dexmedetomidine, and/or ketamine. A total of 277 patients who underwent outpatient GI endoscopy were included in this retrospective medical record review. Patients were separated into 2 groups: propofol monotherapy (n = 233) or combination sedation (n = 44). Outcomes included PACU length of stay, episodes of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), PACU costs, and medication costs. The average PACU length of stay was 35.0 minutes for propofol monotherapy and 35.75 minutes for combination sedation (P = .918). The average PACU cost was $566.37 for propofol monotherapy and $578.44 for combination sedation (P = .918). The average cost for sedatives was $3.13 for propofol monotherapy and $3.34 for combination sedation (P = .964). There was 1 incident of nausea among all patients. There were no significant differences in PACU length of stay, PACU cost, medication costs, and episodes of PONV between propofol monotherapy and combination sedation for outpatient GI endoscopy.