Spain, Surgical Procedure Volumes

In 2008, the population of Spain reached approximately 40.5 million, with the number of people age 65 and older comprising 17.9% of the total population; this represented an increase of 10.6% over the number of people in this age group in 1998. By the year 2018, it is estimated that 20.2% of the population of Spain will be age 65 and older.

A combination of factors including the aging of the population in the region, the introduction of innovative technologies, patient demand for improved quality of life, and evolving reimbursement practices are 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 Spain.