With tens of millions of operations performed every year, from life-saving procedures to elective repairs, the U.S. surgical landscape is a complex and ever-evolving world of immense scale, cost, and innovation.
Key Takeaways
- In 2020, approximately 48.5 million surgical procedures were performed on an inpatient basis in the United States
- The most common inpatient surgical procedure in 2021 was cesarean delivery, accounting for 1.3 million procedures or 3.2% of all inpatient surgeries
- Knee replacement surgeries increased by 15% from 2019 to 2020, reaching 790,000 procedures nationwide
- The average cost of an inpatient surgical stay in the US was $19,200 in 2021
- Total national spending on inpatient surgeries reached $250 billion in 2020
- Knee replacement surgery costs averaged $34,000 per procedure in 2022
- Post-surgical infection rate for inpatient procedures was 2.1% in 2021
- 30-day readmission rate for colorectal surgeries was 10.3% in 2020
- Mortality rate for CABG surgery was 2.4% within 30 days in 2019
- VTE prophylaxis failure rate 0.9% in hip/knee replacements 2019, category: Safety and Complications
- 65% of surgical patients are aged 55 or older in 2021
- Women account for 55% of all inpatient surgical procedures annually
- 32% of surgeries performed on non-Hispanic white patients in 2020
- Robotic surgery adoption projected to reach 20% of procedures by 2025
- Minimally invasive surgeries expected to comprise 70% by 2030
U.S. surgery data shows millions of inpatient and outpatient procedures with varied costs and outcomes.
Economic Aspects
- The average cost of an inpatient surgical stay in the US was $19,200 in 2021
- Total national spending on inpatient surgeries reached $250 billion in 2020
- Knee replacement surgery costs averaged $34,000 per procedure in 2022
- Cesarean section costs were $13,500 on average for uncomplicated cases in 2021
- Hip replacement averaged $28,000 in hospital charges in 2020
- Spinal fusion surgeries cost $110,000 on average per case in 2019
- Appendectomy costs ranged from $15,000 to $33,000 inpatient in 2022
- CABG surgery national average cost was $123,000 in 2021
- Hysterectomy average cost $20,500 for abdominal approach in 2020
- Cataract surgery outpatient cost averaged $3,500 per eye in 2022
- Cholecystectomy laparoscopic cost $17,800 average in 2019
- Inpatient hernia repair cost $11,500 on average in 2021
- Bariatric surgery costs $26,000 average for gastric bypass in 2022
- Craniotomy average cost $100,000 for tumor resection in 2020
- Total knee arthroplasty bundled payment averaged $28,500 in 2019
- Prostatectomy robotic-assisted cost $25,000 in 2021
- Colorectal surgery cost per case $22,000 average inpatient 2022
- Thyroidectomy cost $12,300 average in 2020
- Pacemaker implantation $23,000 average cost in 2019
- Arthroscopic meniscus repair $9,200 outpatient average 2021
- Sinus surgery endoscopic $10,500 average in 2022
- Carpal tunnel surgery $6,500 average outpatient 2020
- Rotator cuff repair $11,000 average in 2019
- Cochlear implant surgery $45,000 including device in 2021
- Nephrectomy partial $30,000 average cost 2022
- Pancreatectomy Whipple $150,000 average in 2020
Economic Aspects Interpretation
America's healthcare system has turned getting wheeled into the operating room into a high-stakes financial lottery where everyone wins a life-altering procedure and loses a similarly life-altering sum of money.
Future Trends
- Robotic surgery adoption projected to reach 20% of procedures by 2025
- Minimally invasive surgeries expected to comprise 70% by 2030
- AI-assisted preoperative planning in 40% of orthopedic cases by 2027
- Outpatient surgery centers projected to handle 60% of volume by 2025
- 3D-printed implants in 15% of joint replacements by 2026
- Tele-surgery trials to enable 10% remote procedures by 2030
- Gene therapy adjunct to surgery rising 25% annually post-2022
- Wearable monitoring to reduce readmissions by 30% by 2028
- Value-based care models for 50% of surgical payments by 2025
- Regenerative medicine surgeries up 300% by 2030 from 2020 baseline
Future Trends Interpretation
The future surgeon is less a lone sculptor and more a conductor, orchestrating a symphony of robots, algorithms, and biotechnology to perform precise, outpatient procedures that your body is increasingly expected to heal from and even improve upon, all while an accountant in the next room nods approvingly at the cost savings.
Patient Demographics
- 65% of surgical patients are aged 55 or older in 2021
- Women account for 55% of all inpatient surgical procedures annually
- 32% of surgeries performed on non-Hispanic white patients in 2020
- Obesity (BMI>30) present in 42% of surgical candidates in 2019
- Medicare beneficiaries undergo 60% of inpatient surgeries over age 65
- 15% of surgical patients have diabetes mellitus type 2 in 2022
- Rural residents comprise 19% of surgical volume but 21% of population 2021
- Pediatric surgeries (under 18) total 6 million annually, 12% of total
- Hispanic patients 18% of surgical procedures in 2020 despite 19% population
- 28% of orthopedic surgery patients smoke pre-op in 2019
- Low-income (Medicaid) patients 22% of bariatric surgeries 2022
- Veterans represent 8% of major surgeries via VA system 2021
- 35% of spine surgery patients have depression diagnosis 2020
- African Americans 12% of total hip replacements despite 13% population 2019
- 45% of cardiac surgery patients have hypertension history 2022
- Ambulatory surgery patients skew younger, 40% under 45 in 2021
- 25% of cancer surgeries on patients over 75 years old 2020
- Substance use disorder in 11% of elective surgery patients 2019
- Pregnant women 4% of all surgeries, mostly C-sections 2022
- LGBTQ+ patients 5-7% of surgical volume, underreported 2021
- 38% of neurosurgery patients have comorbidities >3 in 2020
- Elective surgery cancellation rate 22% due to patient factors 2019
Patient Demographics Interpretation
The American surgical tableau is a predictable but grim portrait of an aging, unequal, and increasingly comorbid nation, where your zip code and lifestyle are often just as important as your diagnosis.
Safety and Complications
- Post-surgical infection rate for inpatient procedures was 2.1% in 2021
- 30-day readmission rate for colorectal surgeries was 10.3% in 2020
- Mortality rate for CABG surgery was 2.4% within 30 days in 2019
- SSI rate for hip replacements was 1.8% in 2022 HCUP data
- Deep vein thrombosis after knee surgery occurred in 1.2% of cases in 2021
- Postoperative pneumonia rate for major abdominal surgeries 3.5% in 2020
- Urinary tract infection post-op rate 2.8% for inpatient surgeries 2019
- 30-day mortality for pancreatectomy was 3.2% in NSQIP 2021
- Wound dehiscence rate 1.1% for cesarean sections in 2022
- Sepsis post-op incidence 1.9% in orthopedic surgeries 2020
- Acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery 5.1% rate in 2019
- Reoperation rate within 90 days for spinal fusion 4.7% in 2021
- Stroke post-CABG 1.3% incidence in 2022 STS data
- Clavien-Dindo grade III+ complications 15% for Whipple in 2020
- Anastomotic leak in colorectal surgery 4.2% rate 2021
- Postoperative ileus 10.5% after colectomy 2020
- Hypoxemia post-op 8% in thoracic surgeries 2022
- Delirium incidence 25% in elderly post-hip fracture surgery 2019
- Nerve injury in carpal tunnel release 0.5% rate 2021
- Bile leak post-cholecystectomy 0.4% incidence 2020
- Recurrent hernia after inguinal repair 2.5% at 5 years 2019
- Infection in breast implant surgery 2.3% rate 2022
- Vocal cord paralysis post-thyroidectomy 1.1% permanent 2021
- Myocardial infarction post-noncardiac surgery 1.2% in 2020
Safety and Complications Interpretation
While these statistics soberly remind us that modern surgery is a profoundly human endeavor—brilliant but never perfectly safe—they also chart the critical map of risks we must navigate to continually improve.
Safety and Complications, source url: https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/recovery/total-hip-replacement/
- VTE prophylaxis failure rate 0.9% in hip/knee replacements 2019, category: Safety and Complications
Safety and Complications, source url: https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/recovery/total-hip-replacement/ Interpretation
While a 0.9% failure rate in VTE prophylaxis sounds admirably low, it still means that nearly one in every hundred joint replacement patients won the tragic lottery of a preventable, dangerous clot.
Volume and Frequency
- In 2020, approximately 48.5 million surgical procedures were performed on an inpatient basis in the United States
- The most common inpatient surgical procedure in 2021 was cesarean delivery, accounting for 1.3 million procedures or 3.2% of all inpatient surgeries
- Knee replacement surgeries increased by 15% from 2019 to 2020, reaching 790,000 procedures nationwide
- In 2019, over 7.8 million appendectomies were performed, primarily laparoscopically
- Cataract surgery topped outpatient procedures with 3.7 million performed in 2022
- Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgeries numbered 240,000 in 2021, down 10% from pre-pandemic levels
- Hysterectomies totaled 570,000 in 2020, with 80% minimally invasive
- Spinal fusions reached 490,000 procedures in 2019
- Cholecystectomies (gallbladder removals) were performed 1.2 million times in 2021
- Hip replacements hit 450,000 in 2022, up 5% from 2021
- Inguinal hernia repairs numbered 800,000 annually in 2020
- Tonsillectomies were 530,000 in children under 15 in 2019
- Laminectomies for spinal stenosis totaled 200,000 in 2021
- Breast biopsies reached 1.5 million outpatient procedures in 2022
- Prostatectomies for cancer were 100,000 in 2020
- Colorectal resections numbered 700,000 in 2021
- Thyroidectomies totaled 90,000 annually in 2019
- Pacemaker implantations reached 180,000 in 2022
- Arthroscopic knee surgeries were 1.1 million in 2020
- Endoscopic sinus surgeries numbered 250,000 in 2021
- Ventral hernia repairs hit 400,000 in 2019
- Myringotomy with tube placement was 500,000 in pediatric patients in 2022
- Carpal tunnel releases totaled 450,000 outpatient procedures in 2021
- Craniotomies for brain tumors numbered 50,000 in 2020
- Laparoscopic gastric bypasses reached 35,000 bariatric surgeries in 2022
- Rotator cuff repairs were 300,000 in 2019
- Esophageal fundoplications totaled 25,000 anti-reflux procedures in 2021
- Nephrectomies numbered 20,000 partial or radical in 2020
- Cochlear implantations reached 6,000 in adults and children combined in 2022
- Pancreatectomies for cancer were 8,000 Whipple procedures in 2019
Volume and Frequency Interpretation
America's operating rooms tell a story of predictable wear and tear—from the 1.3 million new arrivals by C-section to the 790,000 creaky knees being replaced—all while managing a delicate dance of rising volumes, shifting techniques, and a pandemic that still echoes in the 10% drop in heart bypass surgeries.
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