Laparoscopic Hysterectomy in a Community General Hospital Initial Experience and Comparison of Hospital Costs - Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia

Purpose: to compare hospital costs between laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) and total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH), reporting the initial experience with the new approach in a communitary general hospital. Patients and Methods: eleven cases of LAVH and 23 of TAH, carried out from September 1998 to July 1999, were compared. Each patient’s records and hospital charges were reviewed to collect the analyzed variables. Results: there was no statistical difference between the groups in relation to age, parity, and previous abdominal surgery. The main surgical indication for both groups was uterine leiomyomatosis. The LAVH group presented a shorter hospital stay with a median of one day, and the TAH group, of two days (p<0.01). LAVH showed to be 40.2% more expensive than TAH (p<0.01). Operating room charges contributed to the major part of hospital costs for both groups, corresponding to 79.8 and 57.9% of the total, for LAVH and TAH, respectively. LAVH infirmary charges were smaller than for TAH, with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.002). Conclusion: with shorter hospital stay and smaller infirmary costs, we demonstrated that LAVH provides better postoperative conditions and faster recovery than TAH. When done in a community general hospital, despite being more expensive, LAVH is an excellent option for uterine removal, and should be part of the therapeutical arsenal of gynecologic surgeons.