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Thoracic and cardiovascular operations in the United States, 1979 to 1984
Insights
Thoracic and cardiovascular operations increased 150% since 1970, driven by coronary artery bypasses. These procedures, including bypasses and pacemaker surgeries, represent 87% of the top twenty operations.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Health Statistics
Background:
- Thoracic and cardiovascular operations have seen significant growth.
- The period 1979-1984 marked the first full 5-year span under ICD-9-CM codes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in thoracic and cardiovascular operations in the U.S. from 1979 to 1984.
- To delineate the current status of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the National Center for Health Statistics.
- Conducted an in-depth analysis of operation numbers during the specified period.
Main Results:
- Total thoracic and cardiovascular operations increased by 34% between 1979 and 1984.
- Coronary artery bypasses (191,000 in 1983) became the most common procedure.
- Pacemaker procedures (190,000 in 1983) ranked second.
- The top twenty operations constitute 87% of all thoracic and cardiovascular procedures.
- These operations represented 3% of all U.S. operations in 1983.
Conclusions:
- Thoracic and cardiovascular operations show consistent growth over 15 years.
- The increase is primarily attributed to the widespread adoption of coronary artery bypass surgery.
Abstract:
Using data from the National Center for Health Statistics, I conducted an in-depth analysis of numbers of thoracic and cardiovascular operations from 1979 to 1984. This is the first full 5 year period since the inception of International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes, and the findings delineate the present status of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery in the United States. During the study period there was a 34% increase in total numbers of thoracic and cardiovascular operations. Since 1970 there has been a total increase in numbers of thoracic and cardiovascular operations of 150%. In 1983 thoracic and cardiovascular surgeons performed 191,000 coronary artery bypasses. This operation is the most common thoracic and cardiovascular procedure and has become the nineteenth most common operation now performed in this country. Pacemaker placement, revision, or removal (190,000) is the second most common thoracic and cardiovascular operation and the country's twentieth. The twenty most common thoracic and cardiovascular operations constitute 87% of all thoracic and cardiovascular operations. In 1983 thoracic and cardiovascular operations represented 3% of all operations completed in this country. These figures represent the dynamics of thoracic and cardiovascular surgical practice. They demonstrate that numbers of thoracic and cardiovascular operations have consistently increased over the past 15 years. However, this increase is almost entirely due to the advent of coronary artery bypass.