More Heart Procedures Performed Nationally

Media Release
20 July 2005

More Heart Procedures Performed Nationally

The number of heart procedures delivered nationally has increased in the past year.

Provisional figures show a total of 5789 publicly funded angioplasty and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures were delivered nationally in 2004/05. This number will increase as District Health Boards report final figures.

However already the number is up, from 5585 procedures in 2003/04.

Patients from the elective booking system received 25 per cent of those procedures in 2003/04. The provisional figure for 2004/05 is 20.8 per cent but Ministry of Health Chief Medical Advisor Dr David Geddis said this percentage would increase as final figures were received.

"The figure for people treated from the elective booking system will actually increase disproportionately to the total increase because elective procedures were slower to report," he said.

This particularly applies where private hospitals have been contracted to DHBs to provide procedures. These will largely be elective procedures.

Patients admitted and treated for an acute episode may already be in the elective booking system.

ENDS

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