Spanish CV (cardiovascular) unit "country's largest" by 2006:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The Spanish region of Castilla-La Mancha is aiming to tackle the rise in demand for cardiovascular surgery, with the opening this week of its first unit specialising in this area. The unit, in Toledo, built at a cost of E5m ($5.3m), aims to perform around 200 operations in its first year, rising to around 600 within the first four years. This will make it the largest CV surgery facility in the country. Some 500 patients a year are currently transferred to other regions, said regional health minister Fernando Lamata. Nationally, there was a 58% increase in CV surgery in the period 1991-97, to 31,800 procedures, according to the Spanish medical technology industry federation FENIN. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in Spain. In 2000, it was responsible for 34.9% of all deaths.