Cost‐effectiveness of an exercise‐based cardiovascular rehabilitation program in patients with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy in Brazil: An analysis from the PEACH study

Objectives The present study aimed to perform a cost‐effectiveness analysis of an exercise‐based cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) program in patients with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC). Methods Cost‐effectiveness analysis alongside a randomised clinical trial evaluating the effects of a 6‐month exercise‐based CR program. The intervention group underwent 3 weekly exercise sessions. The variation of peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) was used as a measurement of clinical outcome. Cost information from all healthcare expenses (examinations, healthcare visits, medication and hospitalisation) were obtained from the medical records in Brazilian reais (R$) and transformed into dollars using the purchasing power parity ($PPP). The longitudinal costs variation was evaluated through linear mixed models, represented by β coefficient, adjusted for the baseline values of the dependent variable. The cost‐effectiveness evaluation was determined through an incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio using the HEABS package (Stata 15.0). Results The intervention group presented higher costs with healthcare visits (β = +3317.3; p < 0.001), hospitalisation (β = +2810.4; p = 0.02) and total cost (β = +6407.9; p < 0.001) after 3 months of follow‐up. Costs related to healthcare visits (β = +2455.8; p < 0.001) and total cost (β = +4711.4; p < 0.001) remained higher in the intervention group after 6 months. The CR program showed an incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $PPP 1874.3 for each increase of 1.0 ml kg−1 min−1 of VO2peak. Conclusions The CR program can be considered a cost‐effective alternative and should be included as an intervention strategy in the care of patients with CCC.