Healthcare System Impact
The CRH O’Regan System stands to have a beneficial impact on the US healthcare system by reducing the number of patients requiring hemorrhoidectomies. While generally considered highly effective, hemorrhoidectomy is associated with significantly more pain and complications than nonoperative techniques.
Notably, urinary retention due to edema in the tissues or spasms in the pelvic muscle has been reported to occur in about 20% of patients. 1 Moderate to intense post-procedure pain is also a major complaint. A 2000 study found that patients treated with hemorrhoidectomy reported an average pain score of 6.5 on a scale of 1 to 10. 2
Additionally, a 2005 study found late complications of urgency (12%), continence problems (10%) or tenesmus (3%). 2 The rare but fatal complication of Fournier’s gangrene has been reported in five or more cases, 3 and a 2004 study found that reoperation due to adverse events was required in 7.6 % of hemorrhoidectomies. 4
Payor savings represent another positive impact. Hemorrhoidectomies currently cost as much as $12,000 in the United States, with higher fees associated with patients requiring a hospital stay. In contrast, the CRH O’Regan System costs only a fraction of that and poses a much lower risk of complications (and their attendant expense).
Similarly, our minimally invasive procedure presents several advantages over stapled hemorroidectomy, a surgical innovation initially hailed as a more appealing alternative to conventional hemorrhoidectomy due to reduced pain and faster recovery. But at a reported cost of $6,500, this procedure, which also is associated with a number of complications, has not yet fully lived up to its promise.
A 2003 study of stapled hemorrhoidectomy found the return to work time was not significantly better than classical hemorrhoidectomy (10 days versus 14 days) and, more worrisome, that late complications of fecal urgency and pain occurred. 5 Another study found severe postoperative pain may occur in more than 30% of patients. 6
When compared to either surgery, the CRH O’Regan System provides a less expensive, less invasive, less painful option that reduces healthcare costs as well as lost wages. Long-term research is needed, but the 2005 large scale study of our method also suggests that it may equal or better the low recurrence rate associated with hemorrhoidectomy. 7