Modifying risk for extracorporeal circulation: trial of four anti-inflammatory strategies

This is a critical abstract of an economic evaluation that meets the criteria for inclusion on NHS EED. Each abstract contains a brief summary of the methods, the results and conclusions followed by a detailed critical assessment on the reliability of the study and the conclusions drawn. These pharmacologic and mechanical strategies significantly attenuated the inflammatory response to extracorporeal circulation. This translated variably into improved patient outcomes. The increased cost of treatment was offset for selected strategies through the added value of significantly reduced risk.