Monty Mythen
NICE guidance published today has shown that use of oesophageal Doppler monitoring (ODM) in surgery could save the NHS £880 million a year in England alone.
The official guidance shows that ODM, which measures blood flow during surgery:
- Leads to an average cost saving of £1,100 per patient
- Reduces average length of hospital stay by on average 2 days per patient
- Reduces complications by half
- Reduces use of critical care facilities
- Results in fewer hospital readmissions
With more than 800,000 relevant operations a year in England, the NICE Medical Technology Advisory Committee (MTAC) guidance means that adoption of this technology could potentially save the NHS more than 1.6 million bed days.
Deltex Medical’s CardioQ-ODM accurately measures changes in the rate of blood circulating around the body. This is key to helping clinical teams ensure the right amount of blood gets to all the vital organs.
ODM works by inserting an ultrasound probe into the oesophagus. This innovative approach is much less invasive than conventional blood monitoring devices, which can require the insertion of a catheter into a vein in the neck.
With accurate and less invasive fluid management patients have been shown to recover more quickly from operations, with fewer complications.
ODM is suitable for use in all major surgery including colorectal, genito-urinarygeneral, vascular, urology and renal, orthopaedic and gynaecological surgery.
Monty Mythen, Clinical Lead for the Department of Health’s Enhanced Recovery Partnership Programme and Professor of Anaesthesia and Critical Care at University College London:
"I have worked with ODM for almost two decades and have seen the benefits in my patients. By offering a much less invasive method of fluid management during and after surgery, ODM helps patients recover more quickly.
"I am delighted that this guidance has highlighted the advantages of this technology, and I hope that it gives the NHS the impetus it needs to ensure better access for all."
Deltex Medical’s Chief Executive, Ewan Phillips commented: "NICE’s guidance is a clear endorsement for CardioQ-ODM.
"As highlighted in the guidance, all the independent trials into the CardioQ-ODM have shown that it significantly improves outcomes for patients undergoing surgery.
"We firmly believe that the CardioQ-ODM should be implemented across the NHS as a standard of care for all appropriate patients."