Each time a COPD patient is admitted to hospital as an emergency case, the associated financial impact for the PCT is £2337. And in 2003/4 the total cost of COPD emergency admissions reached £253 million. This makes COPD a very costly illness.

In comparison, the consumable cost of performing a blood gas analysis on the i-STAT is around £4.50, and typical return on investment for an i-STAT system is less than six months. To see a more tailored illustration of the potential savings that could be made, please click on the following link and enter the appropriate details:  COPD Cost Calculator

Statistics show that those people most at risk of returning to hospital have commonly already had a recent stay as an in-patient. In fact, the number of people readmitted to hospital after discharge has increased by nearly a quarter in the last decade.

To find out how much your PCT can save by introducing the i-STAT system, please call us on 01480 862100 or email: COPD@axis-shielduk.com

References available on request