Background During the urology device tender, a new ureteral catheter (UC) was proposed: the UROTECH’s MAGNETIC BLACK-STAR kit, which is three times more expensive than the traditional UC (non-magnetic rigid polyurethane double loop UC). Its bladder side magnet allows its removal thanks to a magnetic recovery device. As this new technique is faster and requires no endoscope or re-sterilisable equipment, the additional cost of purchase would be offset during the withdrawal, and the discomfort would be reduced for the patient, according to the manufacturer.

Purpose We wanted to estimate the overall cost differences for our hospital between the BLACK-STAR UC and a traditional UC, and compare our results with an estimation made by the manufacturer to another hospital.

Material and methods The estimation is based on the time spent by the nurse and surgeon, and the exhaustive listing of the devices used during the removal procedure of the two UC, in men and women. The estimated costs of using re-sterilisable medical devices include depreciation and sterilisation. For the flexible endoscope, this was evaluated in 2015 in our hospital by also integrating the maintenance cost. As the placement technique is identical for both UC, the cost of the equipment used was not evaluated.

Results In men the cost is estimated at €209 for the usual UC removed by flexible cystoscopy versus €124 for the magnetic UC (gain of €85 with the magnetic UC, higher than the €63 announced). In women, the cost is estimated at €84 for the usual UC removed by rigid cystoscopy, versus €124 for the magnetic UC (€40 more expensive with the magnetic UC, contrary to the gain of €32 announced). Since the magnetic UC was placed but not yet removed, this estimation does not include the cost of hospital staff.

Conclusion The economic evaluation conducted in our hospital is largely in favour of the use of the magnetic UC in men. Although this is not the case for women, its referencing to replace the current UC could save more than €12 000 per year in our hospital, based on 2017 consumption. Patient satisfaction also remains to be assessed.

References and/or acknowledgements No conflict of interest.