A 90-day trial of single-use cystoscopes generated significant cost savings for a tertiary care center.

This micro-costing analysis published in The Journal of Urology in September found that transitioning to the single-use aScope 4 Cysto from Ambu saved this center (the name and location were not revealed) nearly $10,000 in the three-month period and would generate nearly $40,000 savings annually.

The per-use cost of a reusable cystoscope was calculated to be $272.41 while the single-use option was $185.

The 90-day trial began Nov. 1, 2020 and ran through Jan. 29, 2021. All urology care was performed with the single-use cystoscope unless it could not complete a procedure satisfactorily or one was not available.

The aScope 4 Cysto was able to successfully complete cases 92 percent of the time. In three cases where a reusable cystoscope was needed, it was because a single-use one was not available.

The authors write that they conducted the trial due to a “paucity of cost-effectiveness studies examining implementation” of single-use cystoscopes inside hospitals. Reusable flexible cystoscopes, meanwhile, have widespread utilization “with known associated upfront purchasing, processing and service costs.”

The researchers received no funding for this study.

Another recent study conducted in the United Kingdom found single-use cystoscopes generated a 20 percent cost savings. Additionally, 95 percent of patients surveyed in that study said they preferred the single-use scope to a reusable one.

Single-Use Endoscopy is part of Ambu USA’s learning center.