Only 27 per cent of Alberta knee replacement surgeries were done on time in 2022: CIHI
If you were an Albertan waiting for a knee replacement in 2022 and you're still waiting, you're not alone.
According to data released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (cihi.ca), 78,000 fewer surgeries were performed in Alberta.
For people waiting on knee replacements, 27 per cent were performed within the recommended time frame in 2022, compared with 62 per cent in 2019.
Across Canada, patients experienced longer wait times for joint replacements.
Countrywide, about 50 per cent received their knee replacement within the recommended time frame, as opposed to 75 per cent pre-pandemic.
The best was Ontario, where 68 per cent received their knee replacement within the recommended time frame.
Worst were Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, where only 23 per cent received theirs.
The backlog of cataract surgeries has been smaller than joint replacement wait times, with about 66 per cent of patients receiving surgery within the recommended time frame.
From April to September 2022, 50 per cent of patients nationally waited one to three days longer for breast, bladder, colorectal and lung cancer surgeries and around 12 days longer for prostate cancer surgery, compared with pre-pandemic wait times.
"It is encouraging to see that surgery volumes in certain provinces are nearing pre-pandemic levels," said Tracy Johnson, CIHI director of health system analytics.
"Reducing wait times is a complex challenge, and pre-pandemic surgery numbers will need to be exceeded to recover and to reduce surgical backlogs, although the findings vary across provinces and territories."
CIHI is an independent, not-for-profit organization that works with federal, provincial and territorial stakeholders to share information that informs policy, management, care and research across Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.