Objective:

To determine the financial cost of atrial defibrillation in Colombia.

Materials and methods:

A retrospective study was carried out using health care data bases on patients with a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. The patients were identified from the diagnoses recorded in ambulatory and hospital care registers, using the atrial fibrillation ICD-10 diagnostic (I48x). After the patients were identified, an algorithm was constructed by using the management guidelines for the disease and that simulated the natural history and care of the disease. A micro-costing technique was used in accordance with an official data base of a Colombian insurance Company, taking into account the natural history of the disease constructed.

Results:

The mean annual cost of a patient correctly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation is $6,218.179, that of the patient with an acute thrombo-embolic event or non-specific signs as a first manifestation of the disease is $23,665.300, and that of the patient with an infarction prior to the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation is $37,493.968.

Conclusions:

In terms of costs, the patient that is maintained under control, despite the technological costs of their control, is less costly than one that has acute episodes.

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