CORPORATE OFFICE
Level 1
32 Oxford Terrace
Telephone: 0064 3 364 4160
Christchurch Central
Fax: 0064 3 364 4165
CHRISTCHURCH 8011
[email address]
26 March 2021
Moshe Livne
Email: [FYI request #14814 email]
Dear Moshe,
RE Official information Act request CDHB 10554
I refer to your email received 2 March 2021, and clarification received on 3 March 2021, requesting the following
information under the Official Information Act from Canterbury DHB. Specifically:
For each cardiac procedure (stent, ecg, echo, open heart surgery etc), for the years 2018 and 2019 by year, the
following information:
1. Number of procedures done and average wait time for the procedure PERFORMED during the year (not
escalated)
*Clarification: not escalated defined as low priority referrals.
Please refer to
Table One overleaf, which shows the number of top 10 low-priority cardiology and cardiothoracic
surgery procedures performed within Canterbury DHB, and the average wait time, for the past two calendar years.
The data is for referrals categorised as low priority only and is broken down by each individual procedure.
Please note: Canterbury DHB is only able to provide data for the calendar years 2019 and 2020 (not 2018), as there
was a change in data system midway through 2018 and consequently the 2018 data is incomplete.
Additionally, ECG and echo referral data has not been included, as ECG’s are not waitlisted procedures and echo
referrals are not able to be reported on at present due to a change in information system.
The COVID-19 lockdown period from March – May 2020 led to an increase in wait times in calendar year 2020. The
lockdown also contributed to the reduced number of low-priority coronary angiogram procedures in the same
year.
In regard to low-priority ablation procedures, the increase in wait times between 2019 and 2020 is due to both the
COVID-19 lockdown period and the replacement of one of the Cath Laboratories, which created limited access for
elective procedures for an 8-week period.
Table One: Number and wait times for the top 10 cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery procedures, for low priority
referrals.
Top 10 Procedures under Cardiology and Cardiothoracic
2019
2020
Surgery
Average
Average
Types of Procedures (Low Priority)
Number
Wait Time
Number
Wait Time
(Days)
(Days)
Coronary angiography
416
23.0
389
55.0
Catheter ablation of arrhythmia circuit or focus, not
89
46.5
152
181.5
elsewhere classified
Two-dimensional real time transoesophageal ultrasound of
69
28.7
60
43.8
heart
Cardioversion
56
37.1
76
50.6
Percutaneous insertion of 1 transluminal stent into single
53
25.2
47
58.8
coronary artery
M-mode and two-dimensional real time ultrasound of heart
46
19.9
19
38.2
Lobectomy of lung
31
15.0
37
22.9
Coronary artery bypass, using 1 LIMA graft
31
21.9
36
24.6
Insertion of cardiac pacemaker generator
29
36.4
41
55.4
Replacement of aortic valve with bio prosthesis
20
19.1
17
30.4
2. Number and average wait time for the procedure PERFORMED during the year (that was escalated)
*Clarification: escalated defined as high priority referrals.
Please refer to
Table Two below, which shows the number of top 10 high-priority cardiology and cardiothoracic
surgery procedures performed within Canterbury DHB, and the average wait time, for the past two calendar years.
This data is for referrals categorised as high priority only and is broken down by each individual procedure.
Please note: Canterbury DHB is only able to provide data for the calendar years 2019 and 2020 (not 2018), as there
was a change in data system midway through 2018 and consequently the 2018 data is incomplete.
Additionally, ECG and echo referral data has not been included, as these are not waitlisted procedures.
Please note that the COVID-19 lockdown period from March – May 2020 led to an increase in wait times in
calendar year 2020.
Table Two: Number and wait times for the top 10 cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery procedures, for high priority
referrals.
Top 10 Procedures under Cardiology and Cardiothoracic
2019
2020
Surgery
Average
Average
Types of Procedures (High Priority)
Number
Wait Time
Number
Wait Time
(Days)
(Days)
Coronary angiography
84
15.9
89
30.7
Replacement of cardiac pacemaker generator
57
26.0
64
28.3
Insertion of cardiac pacemaker generator
27
24.6
29
61.0
Replacement of cardiac defibrillator generator
23
21.3
20
22.9
Catheter ablation of arrhythmia circuit or focus, not
22
18.9
19
43.9
elsewhere classified
Two-dimensional real time transoesophageal ultrasound of
16
13.8
13
26.5
heart
Insertion of cardiac defibrillator generator
16
32.3
5
88.6
Lobectomy of lung
9
8.1
10
7.6
Cardioversion
11
30.6
1
36.0
Percutaneous insertion of 1 transluminal stent into single
5
22.8
7
19.0
coronary artery
3. Number of people that died waiting for a procedure scheduled to be performed during the year (escalated
and not escalated separately)
*Clarification: escalated defined as high priority referrals, and not escalated defined as low priority referrals.
Please refer to
Table Three below, which shows the total number of deaths for individuals that were on a wait list
for a cardiology or cardiothoracic surgery procedure for the past two calendar years. The data below is broken
down into referrals categorised as high priority and low priority.
Table Three: Number of deaths for individuals on a wait list for a cardiology or cardiothoracic procedure for past
two calendar years, broken down by priority categorisation.
Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery Procedures
2019
2020
High Priority
1
1
Low Priority
4
0
4. Number of people that required emergency (ED) treatment while waiting for a procedure scheduled to be
performed during the year (escalated and not escalated separately)
Canterbury DHB is unable to provide a response regarding the number of people that required emergency (ED)
treatment while waiting for a scheduled cardiology/cardiothoracic surgery procedure, as we are unable to
determine from our data if any ED treatment received was related to the condition.
We are therefore declining a response to this part of the request pursuant to section 18(g) of the Official
Information Act, i.e. “
that the information requested is not held…”
I trust this satisfies your interest in this matter.
You may, under section 28(3) of the Official Information Act, seek a review of our decision to withhold information
by the Ombudsman. Information about how to make a complaint is available a
t www.ombudsman.parliament.nz;
or Freephone 0800 802 602.
Please note that this response, or an edited version of this response, may be published on the Canterbury DHB
website after your receipt of this response.
Yours sincerely
Ralph La Salle
Acting Executive Director
Planning, Funding & Decision Support
