Cost-Effectiveness of Domiciliary High Flow Nasal Cannula Treatment in COPD Patients with Chronic Respiratory Failure

Purpose: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of long-term domiciliary high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) treatment in COPD patients with chronic respiratory failure.
Patients and Methods: A cohort of 200 COPD patients were equally randomized into usual care ± HFNC and followed for 12 months. The outcome of the analysis was the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained, and the analysis was conducted from a healthcare sector perspective. Data on the patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL), gathered throughout the trial using the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), was converted into EQ-5D-3L health state utility values. Costs were estimated using Danish registers and valued in British pounds (£) at price level 2019. Scenario analyses and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the uncertainty of the results.
Results: The adjusted mean difference in QALYs between the HFNC group and the control group was 0.059 (95% CI: 0.017; 0.101), and the adjusted mean difference in total costs was £ 212 (95% CI: − 1572; 1995). The analysis resulted in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of £ 3605 per QALY gained. At threshold values of £ 20.000– 30.000 per QALY gained, the intervention had an 83– 92% probability of being cost-effective. The scenario analyses all revealed ICERs below the set threshold value and demonstrated the robustness of the main result.
Conclusion: This is the first cost-effectiveness study on domiciliary HFNC in Europe. The findings demonstrate that long-term domiciliary HFNC treatment is very likely to be a cost-effective addition to usual care for COPD patients with chronic respiratory failure. The results must be interpreted in light of the uncertainty associated with the indirect estimation of health state utilities.