Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains limited by the risk of restenosis. Patients' perceptions of the health benefits and value of avoiding restenosis are incompletely known.
Methods and results: We used a contingent valuation approach to assess the willingness to pay (WTP) for a hypothetical treatment that eliminates the risk of restenosis among 270 PCI patients. Patients were provided with a scenario describing a baseline 10% or 20% probability of restenosis in the year following the procedure, which could lead to repeat PCI or, more rarely, bypass surgery, without any increase in mortality. Six different "take it or leave it" bids ($500, $1000, $1500, $2000, $2500, and $3000) and both risk levels were randomly assigned. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of a positive response to the WTP question. Using nonparametric methods, the median WTP to eliminate the risk of restenosis was estimated at $2802. As expected, higher income was independently associated with a higher probability of a positive response to the WTP question (odds ratio, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.32 to 5.97). Bids also were independently associated with the probability of being willing to pay, and this association followed a quadratic effect. Below $1500, bid had little impact on patient answers. However, as prices increased, the probability of being willing to pay started to decrease sharply.
Conclusion: The potential to eliminate the risk of restenosis, a benign complication, would have substantial value for patients undergoing PCI.