Cardiac (Heart) Surgery
Cardiac surgery is performed in the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. All Manitoba cardiac patients are co-ordinated by two Cardiac Surgery Wait List Co-ordinators.
What is Cardiac Surgery?
Cardiac surgery is surgery on the heart, typically to correct different kinds of heart disease or valve problems created by various causes, including endocarditis. In Manitoba, wait times are reported for all cardiac surgery combined, and for Coronary Arterial Bypass Grafts (CABGs) (commonly referred to as bypass surgery) broken down by level of urgency: emergent & urgent, semi-urgent and elective. Information provided on the number of cases includes the procedures listed here.
Cardiac Surgery Wait Times (Median)
|
All Cardiac Surgery Combined |
|
8 days |
|
LEVEL 1 CABG: Emergent & Urgent |
LEVEL 2 CABG: Semi-urgent |
LEVEL
3 CABG: Elective |
All
CABG Levels |
|
6 days |
19 days |
78 days |
8 days |
|
Data for August 2024 |
|||
Median wait time: The point at which half the patients have had their treatment, and the other half are still waiting. For example, if a median wait time is 4 weeks, this means that half of the patients waited less than 4 weeks, and half waited more than 4 weeks. The median is another way of reflecting what a "typical" patient might have experienced in that time period. Unlike the average, the median is not generally influenced by one or two very unusual cases (long or short), and is therefore more stable over time.
Emergent and Urgent (Priority Level 1 – within 14 days): These are critically ill, medically unstable patients, who cannot be discharged from hospital prior to receiving care.
Semi-Urgent (Priority Level 2 – within 15-42 days): These are patients with significant heart health problems. They may be doing poorly on medication and/or may have pain with minor exercise. These patients are not critically ill but waiting too long could result in a deterioration in their health status.
Elective (Priority 3 – within 43-180 days): These are patients who are stable but have some form of heart health problem. Their procedure may be scheduled after a wait time without undue deterioration in their health status.
Cases of Cardiac Surgery
Regional
Health Authority |
Facilities |
Total Number of Cases (per month) |
2024/2025
Fiscal Year to Date1 |
2023/2024 Fiscal Year1 |
| Winnipeg | St.
Boniface General Hospital & Health Sciences Centre |
91 |
488 |
1,029 |
|
Data for August 2024 |
||||
1 Fiscal year is April to March.
Cardiac Surgery Waiting
Regional
Health Authority |
Facilities |
Total Number Waiting |
||
| Winnipeg | St.
Boniface General Hospital & Health Sciences Centre |
67 |
||
|
Data for August 2024 |
||||
A wait list is a list of individuals who are waiting for a special medical or diagnostic service. Only suitable patients who have consented to receive the service are placed on a wait list. Patients who are not ready for the service, such as those who need time in pre-habilitation or may be recommended for other treatment options, are not placed on a wait list. Patients who have not consented to the service do not go on a wait list. Patients who are determined by their care provider to be an emergency are also not put on a wait list.
Cardiac Surgery Wait List Co-ordinator
If you are currently waiting for cardiac surgery and you have more questions, you can contact a Cardiac Surgery Wait List Co-ordinator at:
204-237-2334
Cardiac Procedures reported on this website include:
- Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts (CABG)
- Heart valve replacement, repair, annuloplasty (surgical reconstruction of an incompetent cardiac valve)
- Atrial and ventricular septal defect
- Left ventricular aneurysm, left ventricular assistance device
- ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygentation-temporary support of heart and lung function by partial cardiopulmonary bypass)
- Pericardectomy (surgical excision of a part of the pericardium, or the membrane which encompasses the heart)
- Deep hypothermic cardiac arrests
- Trauma to heart
- Tumours of heart
- Resection of thoracic aorta vessels
Cardiac Surgery Historical Information
Historical data for the previous 13 months is available by clicking the link below:
