Health at a Glance 2011
OECD Indicators
This sixth edition of Health at a Glance provides the latest comparable data on different aspects of the performance of health systems in OECD countries. It provides striking evidence of large variations across countries in the costs, activities and results of health systems. Key indicators provide information on health status, the determinants of health, health care activities and health expenditure and financing in OECD countries. Each indicator in the book is presented in a user-friendly format, consisting of charts illustrating variations across countries and over time, brief descriptive analyses highlighting the major findings conveyed by the data, and a methodological box on the definition of the indicator and any limitations in data comparability.
Cardiac procedures (coronary angioplasty)
Heart diseases are a leading cause of hospitalisation and death in OECD countries (see Indicator 1.3). Coronary angioplasty is a revascularisation procedure that has revolutionised the treatment of ischemic heart diseases (heart attack and angina) over the past 20 years. It involves the threading of a catheter with a balloon attached to the tip through the arterial system into the diseased coronary artery. The balloon is inflated to distend the coronary artery at the point of obstruction. The placement of a stent to keep the artery open accompanies the majority of angioplasties. Drug-eluting stents (a stent that gradually releases drugs) are increasingly being used to stem the growth of scar-like tissue surrounding the stent.
Egalement disponible en : Français