Coronary artery bypass graft surgery in Newfoundland and Labrador

• Main Authors: George A. Fox, Msc Jonathan O’dea, Patrick S. Parfrey
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.604.4243; http://www.cmaj.ca/content/158/9/1137.full.pdf

Background: Newfoundland and Labrador, like other health care jurisdictions, is faced with widening gaps between the demands for health care and a strained ability to supply the necessary resources. The authors carried out a study to de-termine the rates of appropriate and inappropriate coronary artery bypass graft-ing (CABG) in the province and the waiting times for this surgery. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was performed in the tertiary care hospi-tal that receives all referrals for coronary angiography and coronary artery revas-cularization for Newfoundland and Labrador. By reviewing the hospital records, the authors identified 2 groups of patients: those in whom critical coronary artery disease was diagnosed on the basis of coronary angiography and who were referred for CABG between Apr. 1, 1994, and Mar. 31, 1995, and those who actually underwent the procedure during that period. By applying specific criteria developed by the RAND Corporation, the authors determined the appro-priateness and necessity of CABG in each case. They also compared waiting