Key result
Cardiovascular surgery in Côte d'Ivoire averages ~$5,700 per procedure, driven primarily by pharmacy expenses.
Why the study?
Knowledge of the actual financial cost of cardiac and vascular surgery in Côte d’Ivoire is essential for health policy planning due to the resurgence of interest in this surgery.
Observational (n=124)
Yes
Cardiovascular surgery in Côte d'Ivoire is highly expensive relative to local purchasing power, with pharmacy costs being the primary driver and most patients lacking insurance coverage.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
High out-of-pocket cardiovascular surgery costs may restrict access in Côte d’Ivoire; leaves open questions on sustainable financing and cost-reduction strategies.
ABSTRACTIntroduction. In Cote d’Ivoire, cardiovascular surgery has been practiced since 1978. Since then, there has been a resurgence of interest in this surgery and the knowledge of its actual cost would help in health policy planning. The aim of this study is to specify the financial cost of cardiac and vascular surgery in our country. Methodology. This was a retrospective study from June 2009 to November 2010 carried out at the Abidjan Cardiology Institute and at Bouake Teaching Hospital from July 2021 to Octobre 2025. It was based on the invoices from patients who had undergone cardiac and vascular surgery without being part of a humanitarian care program. Thus, 124 operations considered representative of the scope of cardiac and vascular surgery offered at our two institutions were have being selected. We analyzed the average cost relating to the top 5 cost categories: hospitalization room, pharmacy, laboratory, operating room and supplements. Results. Invoices for single valve replacement (n=2), atrial septal defect (ASD) repair (n=4), modified Blalock-Taussig operation (n=2), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) repair (n=6), open limb revascularization (n=47), embolectomy (n=5), pericardiectomy (n=1), pericardial drainage (n=28), permanent pacemaker (n=28) and vein stripping (n=1) were analyzed. The average cost of all the procedures was $ 5669 (extremes: $ 1696 – 9643). The proportion of this average cost by categories was variable: the pharmacy cost was $ 2863 (50.5%), the operating room cost was $ 1701 (30%), the hospitalization room cost was $ 794 (14%), the laboratory cost was $ 397 (7%) and the supplements costs were $ 141 (2.5%). The valve replacement was the most expensive surgical procedure with an average cost of $ 9643, while the vein stripping was the least costly surgical procedure with an average cost of $ 1697. About 107 patients (86.29%) were not covered by health insurance. Of these patients, only 50 (40,32%) obtained a reduction from 15.5% to 19.10 % of the cost of the procedure by the social department. Conclusion. Cardiac and vascular surgery is still very costly in our context. Pharmacy fees are the most expensive part of the patient's invoice. Social coverage is still almost non-existent for patients.RÉSUMÉIntroduction. En Côte d’Ivoire, la chirurgie cardiovasculaire est pratiquée depuis 1978. Face à l’intérêt croissant pour cette spécialité, l’évaluation de son coût réel est essentielle pour la planification des politiques de santé. Cette étude vise à préciser le coût financier de la chirurgie cardiaque et vasculaire dans notre pays. Méthodologie. Cette étude rétrospective a analysé 124 dossiers de patients opérés à l'Institut de Cardiologie d'Abidjan entre 2009 et 2010, et au CHU de Bouaké entre 2021 et 2025, hors programmes humanitaires. Les coûts ont été analysés selon cinq catégories : pharmacie, bloc opératoire, hospitalisation, laboratoire et suppléments. Résultats. Les factures ont été analysées pour les interventions suivantes : remplacement valvulaire unique (n=2), cure de communication interauriculaire (CIA) (n=4), opération de Blalock-Taussig modifiée (n=2), fermeture de persistance du canal artériel (PCA) (n=6), revascularisation chirurgicale des membres (n=47), embolectomie (n=5), péricardectomie (n=1), drainage péricardique (n=28), pose de pacemaker définitif (n=28) et éveinage (n=1).Le coût moyen global des procédures s'élevait à 5 669 $ (extrêmes : 1 696 $– 9 643 $). La répartition de ce coût moyen par catégorie était variable : la pharmacie représentait 2 863 $ (50,5 %), le bloc opératoire 1 701 $ (30 %), l'hospitalisation 794 $ (14 %), le laboratoire 397 $ (7 %) et les frais supplémentaires 141 $ (2,5 %). Le remplacement valvulaire était l'intervention la plus onéreuse avec un coût moyen de 9 643 $, tandis que l'éveinage était la moins coûteuse à 1 697 $. Environ 86,29 % des patients (n=107) ne bénéficiaient d'aucune assurance maladie. Parmi eux, seuls 50 patients (40,32 %) ont obtenu une réduction de 15,5 % à 19,10 % du coût de l'intervention via le service social. Conclusion. La chirurgie cardiovasculaire reste très onéreuse dans notre contexte, dominée par les frais de pharmacie. La couverture sociale demeure quasi inexistante, limitant l'accessibilité financière pour la majorité des patients.
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C et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Cardiovascular surgery (n=124). Cardiovascular surgery was evaluated on Average financial cost of cardiovascular surgery procedures. The average cost of cardiovascular surgery in Côte d'Ivoire was $5,669 per procedure, with pharmacy expenses accounting for 50.5% of the total cost, while 86% of patients lacked health insurance.
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