C-Section Most Common Medical Procedure in U.S. Hospitals; 1.2M Performed Annually, Government Report Says

The caesarean section is the most common medical procedure performed in US hospitals, with 1.2 million performed annually, according to a report released on Tuesday by the... Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Healthcare Cost & Utilization Project, USA Today reports (Healy, USA Today, 8/3). The report, which is based on data from 38 states representing 90% of all hospital stays, found that at least 20% of the four million infants born annually are delivered by c-sections, according to Anne Elixhauser, an analyst who helped compile the report. "Nearly a quarter of all (U.S.) hospital stays are related to pregnancy and childbirth," Elixhauser said, adding, "Most people don't realize what a big chunk of hospital care that is." C-sections cost about $14.6 billion in total hospital charges in 2003, according to the report. The next most common hospital procedure is upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, which was performed about 712,000 times in U.S. hospitals in 2003 (Reuters, 8/2).


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