Wait Time Alliance - L'Alliance sur les temps d'attente

Cardiac Care
Indication Upper limit of wait time
Emergent Urgent Semi-urgent Scheduled
Initial specialist consultation Immediate to 24 h 1 week 4 weeks 6 weeks
Echocardiography 1 day 7 days 7 days 30 days
Cardiac nuclear imaging 1 day 3 days N/A 14 days
Diagnostic catheterization
   After ST segment elevation MI Immediate to 24 h 3 days 7 days N/A
   After non-ST segment elevation ACS Immediate to 48 h 3 days 7 days N/A
   Stable angina N/A N/A 14 days 6 weeks
   Stable valvular heart disease N/A N/A 14 days* 6 weeks
Percutaneous coronary intervention
   After ST segment elevation NI Immediate Immediate Immediate N/A
   After non-ST segment elevation ACS Immediate Immediate Immediate N/A
   Stable angina† N/A Immediate‡ 14 days 6 weeks
Coronary artery bypass graft surgery
   After ST segment elevation NI Immediate to 24 h 7 days 14 days N/A
   After non-ST segment elevation ACS Immediate to 48 h 14 days 14 days 6 weeks
   Stable angina N/A N/A 14 days 6 weeks
Valvular cardiac surgery Immediate to 24 h 14 days N/A 6 weeks
Heart failure services Immediate to 24 h 14 days 4 weeks 6 weeks
Electrophysiology
   Referral to electrophysiologist Immediate to 24 h 3 days 30 days 90 days
   Permanent pacemaker N/A 3 days 2 weeks 6 weeks
   Catheter ablation N/A 14 days N/A 3 months
   Implantable cardioverter defibrillator N/A 3 days§ N/A 8 weeks||
   Cardiac resynchronization therapy devices N/A N/A N/A 6 weeks
Cardiac rehabilitation Immediate# 3 days 7 days 30 days

ACS = actue coronary syndrome, MI = myocardial infarction, N/A = not applicable.

*For symptomatic aortic stenosis.
†Ad hoc percutaneous coronary intervention is appropriate for all patients with stable angina in centres that practice in that manner.
‡Symptomatic.
§Secondary prevention.
||Primary prevention.
#Some patients have significant psychosocial issues (e.g., severe depression). Such patients should be managed by emergency or acute care psychiatry.

Note: This summary table is provided for your reference only and has been excerpted from the following Canadian Cardiovascular Society publication: Universal Access, but When? Treating the Right Patient at the Right Time: Wait Time Benchmarks for Cardiovascular Services and Procedures (2006) available at www.ccs.ca. The reader is strongly urged to review the detailed papers/commentaries within this report to ensure that the benchmarks outlined her are interpreted and applied appropriately, and to see the definitions of the patient factors that constitute an emergent, urgent or semi-urgent condition.

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