Mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU) increases the risk of hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) such as ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and pressure injuries (PrI). Continuous lateral rotation therapy (CLRT) has been shown to reduce VAP and PrI incidence, but the value of switching to CLRT over standard care is presently unknown. We evaluate the cost-effectiveness of CLRT beds compared to standard care in ICUs and determine the return on investment (ROI) associated with its implementation.

A Markov model was constructed to predict health state transitions from the time of ventilation through 28 days using the healthcare sector perspective. Daily transition probabilities were extrapolated from prospective clinical studies comparing CLRT with standard care. Costs were estimated in 2014 USD. Utility scores were extracted from the published literature. Cost per quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) was calculated and sensitivity analyses were conducted. A secondary analysis from a societal perspective with a one-year time horizon included the costs of patient and caregiver lost productivity. ROI analysis was performed to estimate the net benefit and breakeven point of the investment. Value of Information analysis was performed to determine whether further research is warranted.

From both perspectives, CLRT was dominant. From the healthcare sector perspective, the expected cost for CLRT per patient was USD 47,165 compared to standard care at USD 49,258 per patient, showing that CLRT saves cost per patient. The expected effectiveness of CLRT per patient was 0.0418 QALYs compared to 0.0416 QALYs for standard care. CLRT was dominant in 99.94 percent of Monte Carlo simulations. CLRT also reached the break-even point after 5 months. Expected Value of Perfect Information was equal to 0.019, indicating little value of additional evidence at the current level of parameter uncertainty.

CLRT is highly cost-effective compared to standard care by preventing ventilator-associated infections and PrIs in an ICU setting.