Rates of cardiac catheterization, coronary angioplasty and coronary artery bypass surgery in Canada (1991).

OBJECTIVE: To determine the rates of and waiting lists for cardiac catheterization, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and open heart surgery among adults in Canada between January 1, 1991 and December 31, 1991. Furthermore, a comparison was made with a previous survey performed in 1988. DESIGN: Mail survey. Participants were the directors of all 46 adult cardiac catheterization laboratories and representatives from all 33 adult cardiovascular surgery programs in Canada. MAIN RESULTS: A total of 69,914 cardiac catheterizations was performed during this period, a rate of 256/100,000 population. The mean waiting times for elective procedures were weighted to allow for the differences between centres in the number of patients awaiting the procedures. The mean wait for elective cardiac catheterization was 8.5 weeks, precisely the same as it had been in 1988. There were 14,617 PTCA procedures performed, a rate of 54/100,000 population. This rate had increased from 39,100,000 in the previous survey. The mean wait for elective PTCA was 9.2 weeks. A total of 13,618 coronary artery bypass procedures were performed, a rate of 50/100,000 population. The mean wait for elective coronary artery bypass surgery was 213 weeks, with the longest wait occurring in Quebec at 34 weeks. CONCLUSION: Rates for cardiac catheterization increased by 8.5% between 1988 and 1991. The mean waiting time for this procedure did not change significantly across the country in this interval. The rate of PTCA increased by 38.5% during this same time interval. The rate of open heart procedures across the country increased by 20.6%. The waiting period for these specialized cardiac procedures remains excessive, particularly for open heart surgery.