Economic and Clinical Value of Hydrolyzed Collagen in the Management of Spine Surgery Wounds: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
Summary
Complications after spine surgery, such as infections, fluid collections, and wound breakdown, are common in high-risk patients and drive substantial clinical and economic burden through unplanned readmissions, prolonged recovery, and revision procedures. In this study, a decision tree model was developed from the US healthcare sector perspective to estimate the clinical and economic impact of adding a topical hydrolyzed collagen powder to the existing spine surgery bundle for high-comorbidity patients undergoing complex spinal procedures. The model compared standard care alone with standard care plus hydrolyzed collagen over one year, capturing complications, their resolution or persistence, and downstream events such as readmissions and revision surgeries, while assigning costs in 2025 US dollars and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) to each pathway. The analysis found that adding hydrolyzed collagen dominated no treatment, improving outcomes and reducing costs: per patient, the intervention generated an additional 0.007 QALYs and saved approximately $3,852, yielding a net monetary benefit of $4,542 at a $100,000/QALY willingness-to-pay threshold. Avoided readmissions accounted for 58% of cost savings and avoided revision surgeries for an additional 22%, underscoring the economic impact of preventing serious complications. Threshold and sensitivity analyses showed a wide margin for maintaining value, with hydrolyzed collagen remaining cost-effective across plausible ranges of baseline complication risks, treatment effects, and product costs. The findings suggest that integrating hydrolyzed collagen into spine surgery wound management can meaningfully reduce complications and overall costs, supporting its use as a cost-effective adjunct in high-risk spinal surgery care.
Reference
Mohan, V., Meyers, J. E., Cohen, B. G., Steel, P., & Padula, W. V. (2026). Economic and clinical value of hydrolyzed collagen in the management of spine surgery wounds: a cost-effectiveness analysis. Journal of Medical Economics, 29(1), 772–784.
