Rates of cardiac catheterization, coronary angioplasty and coronary artery bypass surgery in Canada (1991).

Rates for cardiac catheterization increased by 8.5% between 1988 and 1991. The mean waiting time for this procedure did not change significantly across the country in this interval. The rate of PTCA increased by 38.5% during this same time interval. The rate of open heart procedures across the country increased by 20.6%. The waiting period for these specialized cardiac procedures remains excessive, particularly for open heart surgery.