Italy, Surgical Procedure Volumes

In 2008, the population of Italy reached approximately 58.1 million, with the number of people age 65 and older comprising 20.0% of the total population; this represented an increase of 16.0% over the number of people in this age group in 1998. By the year 2018, it is estimated that 22.6% of the population of Italy will be age 65 and older. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 8.9% of Italy’s gross domestic product was spent on healthcare in 2005.

The aging population, along with the acceptance of innovative technologies, patient demand for an improved quality of life, and reimbursement practices, has been driving the trend away from traditional open and invasive surgical procedures toward minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgery. This report presents an overview of selected open and laparoscopic surgical procedures and the number of these procedures performed in the European Union (EU) country of Italy.