Neuromuscular monitoring cost and benefit analysis
Executive summary
Across 10 operating rooms running 5,000 cases a year, equipping every operating room with a Stimpod™ NMS450X+ projects a net benefit of $4,935,254 over five years, after the full cost of equipment and consumables. The projection counts drug savings and avoided complication costs; the device-to-device comparison in Section 03 is reported separately. Cumulative savings overtake the investment in month 1.
Method: five-year horizon, cumulative, undiscounted, in the currency selected on the console. Savings are measured against the facility's current practice as entered. Every figure and table in this document recalculates from the assumption console; nothing is precomputed.
The cost to run each case
An EMG-only monitor bills the facility a proprietary single-use electrode array on every case; the standard ECG electrodes that acceleromyography runs on cost cents. Set the comparator's array price on the console straight from the quote in front of you. The Stimpod™ NMS450X+ carries both AMG and EMG in one device: routine cases run on AMG with a standard electrode, and the disposable EMG array is reserved for the cases that need it, such as when the thumb is inaccessible. The consumable mix, set on the console, is what drives the per-case economics below.
The build-up below itemises both figures, including the equipment share carried by every case:
| Cost per case | Stimpod™ | Comparator | Delta |
|---|
With equipment amortised over five years at your case volume, the all-in cost per case is $5.48 for the Stimpod™ against $23.00 for the comparator (76% lower all-in).
Five-year device economics
| Year | Stimpod™ cumulative | Comparator cumulative | Savings |
|---|
Reversal agent spend
Quantitative monitoring shows the team the depth of block in real time, so reversal can be dosed to the measured count rather than to caution, and patients with confirmed recovery need no reversal at all1. The projection below applies the dose reductions from the console and the no-reversal shares Weigel 2022 recorded (3% before monitoring, 10% after) to your unit prices, keeping your current sugammadex to neostigmine ratio unchanged. Drug cost is counted per milligram given; Section 07 states what that assumes about opened vials.
| Year | Current practice | With monitoring | Savings |
|---|
Postoperative pulmonary complications
The 2023 ASA guideline recommends a quantitative monitor to confirm a train-of-four ratio of at least 0.9 before extubation, whichever reversal drug is used3. Residual neuromuscular blockade is associated with postoperative pulmonary complications, and each complication carries a measurable marginal cost in added length of stay and treatment2. The projection applies your incidence assumptions, before and after quantitative monitoring, to the case volume and the marginal cost per event set on the console.
| Year | Cost at current rate | Cost with monitoring | Cost avoided |
|---|
Net position and payback
| Year | Stimpod™ cost | Drug savings | Complication cost avoided | Net position |
|---|
Assumptions register
Every input behind this analysis, as currently set. A committee reviewer can reproduce any figure in this document from this table alone.
| Parameter | Value | Basis |
|---|
References and disclaimer
- Weigel WA, et al. Quantitative Neuromuscular Monitoring in Clinical Practice: A Professional Practice Change Initiative. Anesthesiology 2022;136(6):901-915. pubs.asahq.org
- Edwards LA, Ly N, Shinefeld J, Morewood G. Universal quantitative neuromuscular blockade monitoring at an academic medical center: a multimodal analysis of the potential impact on clinical outcomes and total cost of care. Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management 2021;24:100184. sciencedirect.com
- Thilen SR, et al. 2023 American Society of Anesthesiologists Practice Guidelines for Monitoring and Antagonism of Neuromuscular Blockade. Anesthesiology 2023;138(1):13-41. doi.org
DisclaimerThis report is provided for information. Projections are built from the assumptions entered on the console; individual results vary with clinical practice and institutional setting, and Xavant Technology accepts no liability for projected savings or outcomes. Clinical claims are supported by the cited literature and should be read in context. © 2026 Xavant Technology (Pty) Ltd. This report may be distributed freely in its original, unaltered form.