Presentation Description
Institution: Royal Perth Hospital - Western Australia, Australia
Purpose:
Patients with diabetic foot disease frequently require prolonged inpatient admission for intravenous antimicrobial therapy, wound management and multidisciplinary care. We evaluated the clinical outcomes, resource utilisation, financial impact and service capacity of a dedicated Vascular Home Hospital (HH) pathway within a tertiary vascular surgery service.
Methodology:
A retrospective review was undertaken of all patients managed through the Royal Perth Vascular HH pathway between March and June 2026. Patient demographics, HH length of stay (LOS), readmission rates, bed occupancy and estimated cost implications were analysed.
Results:
Twenty-four vascular episodes of care were identified. Most patients were managed for diabetic foot complications, osteomyelitis and complex wounds requiring prolonged treatment following inpatient vascular assessment and intervention. Median HH LOS was 10.6 days (mean 15.2), generating 366 HH bed-days over four months, equivalent to the continuous availability of three additional inpatient beds. Three patients (12.5%) required readmission within 28 days; however, none were related to the index vascular diagnosis. Inpatient bed occupancy remained high (81–92%), comparable to the preceding 12 months, facilitating treatment of additional patients without increasing bed numbers. Based on activity-based costing, HH care reduced daily expenditure by 9.8% compared with inpatient management ($1,286 vs $1,425/day), generating estimated savings of $50,874.
Conclusion:
A dedicated vascular HH pathway provides a safe and effective model for managing selected limb preservation and complex wound patients. Beyond direct cost savings, its principal benefit was increased service capacity, functioning as a virtual expansion of vascular ward capacity without increasing physical bed numbers. Expansion of vascular-specific HH services may help meet growing demand on tertiary vascular services while preserving access to acute inpatient care.
Speakers
Authors
Authors
Dr Tishanthan Pathmarajah - , Dr Nishath Altaf - , Dr Marilyn Hassell -

