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The Epidemiology and Economics of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Elderly

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Abstract

Cardiothoracic surgery is performed primarily in older individuals. Within the United States and globally, the numbers of these older individuals will increase dramatically in the near future, driving enormous changes in the amount, profile, and delivery of health care. In this chapter we analyze recent trends in the patterns of treatment provided by cardiothoracic surgeons. While incidence rates for coronary artery bypass procedures have declined, other procedures have not changed significantly in frequency. With the forecasted increases in the number of older individuals there is good reason to believe that the volumes of cardiothoracic procedures that are performed will rise significantly, even if incidence rates continue to decline. Cardiothoracic surgeons should meet the challenges engendered by these changes through ongoing innovation and a continued focus on quality of care and clinical outcomes.

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Correspondence to David A. Etzioni .

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Appendix 1: Cardiothoracic Surgical Procedures

Appendix 1: Cardiothoracic Surgical Procedures

Procedure description

ICD-9 Code(s)

Pneumonectomy

32.xx

Local excision or destruction of lesion or tissue of lung/bronchus

32.0x, 32.2x

Other excision of bronchus

32.1x

Segmental resection of lung

32.3x

Lobectomy of lung

32.4x

Complete pneumonectomy

32.5x

Radical dissection of thoracic structures

32.6x

Other excision of lung

32.9x

Valve repair/replacement

35.xx

Closed heart valvotomy

35.0x

Open heart valvuloplasty without replacement

35.1x

Replacement of heart valve

35.2x

Coronary artery bypass graft

36.xx

Removal of coronary artery obstruction and insertion of stent(s)

36.0x

Bypass anastomosis for heart revascularization; w/wo arterial implant

36.1x, 36.2x

Other heart revascularization

36.3x

Other operations on vessels of heart

36.4x

Italicized procedures considered nonsurgical, excluded from analysis.

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Etzioni, D.A., Starnes, V.A. (2011). The Epidemiology and Economics of Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Elderly. In: Katlic, M. (eds) Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Elderly. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0892-6_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0892-6_2

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