Background: Pediatric burns cause considerable morbidity and hospital resource use. Advanced dressings on moderate-degree pediatric burns that accelerate healing may offset acquisition costs by shortening length of stay (LOS).
Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the budget impact of introducing an oxygen-enriched olive-oil dressing for pediatric burns (grade I-IIG; total body surface area < 20%) at a tertiary children's hospital.
Methods: A hospital-perspective budget impact analysis was conducted according to ISPOR guidance over a 4-year horizon (2022-2025). The study population included 32 inpatients (<18 years) with non-extensive, moderate-degree burns treated between 2022 and 2023. Two scenarios were modeled: (i) standard of care (SoC) and (ii) SoC plus the oxygen-enriched olive-oil dressing (OEoD), with annual caseload projections to 2025. Costs combined treatment (dressings, drugs, and devices) and hospitalization data provided by the hospital's Control & Management Unit. The average daily hospitalization cost was €1438.99.
Results: Compared with SoC, the OEoD scenario increased per-patient dressing costs (mean €271.4 vs. €121.9) but reduced LOS (mean 7.3 vs. 16.6 days), leading to lower overall hospitalization expenditure. Total annual costs decreased by 7%, 13%, 16%, and 18% across 2022-2025, respectively (for example, 2025: €612,516 vs. €751,445; Δ -€138,929). Cumulative 4-year savings reached €337,399. Deterministic sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of these findings, with savings persisting under variable assumptions.
Conclusions: Despite higher acquisition costs, oxygen-enriched olive-oil dressings were associated with shorter LOS and meaningful budget savings in pediatric burn care. These results support their integration into multidisciplinary burn management pathways and call for further prospective multicenter validation.
Keywords: advanced wound dressing; budget impact analysis; hospital costs; oxygen-enriched olive-oil dressing; pediatric burns.