Demographic features, case mix characteristics, and waiting outcomes of 1173 patients enrolled on the waiting list
| Characteristics | Number of patients | (%) | Period 1 | Period 2 |
| Gender | ||||
| Men | 787 | (67.1) | 429 | 358 |
| Women | 386 | (32.9) | 184 | 202 |
| Age group | ||||
| <45 | 64 | (5.5) | 29 | 35 |
| 45–64 | 310 | (26.4) | 161 | 149 |
| 65–74 | 484 | (41.3) | 257 | 227 |
| ⩾75 | 315 | (26.9) | 166 | 149 |
| Procedure | ||||
| abdominal aortic aneurysm repair | 327 | (27.9) | 192 | 135 |
| carotid endarterectomy | 277 | (23.6) | 144 | 133 |
| peripheral vascular disease surgery | 401 | (34.2) | 214 | 187 |
| vascular access for haemodialysis | 168 | (14.3) | 63 | 105 |
| Urgency status | ||||
| Urgent | 225 | (19.2) | 112 | 113 |
| Semi-urgent | 470 | (40.0) | 264 | 206 |
| Non-urgent | 478 | (40.8) | 237 | 241 |
| Enrolment period | ||||
| 1—from 1 July 1994 to 31 March 1997 | 613 | (52.3) | ||
| 2—from 1 April 1997 to 31 March 1999 | 560 | (47.7) | ||
| Surgery received | ||||
| Within recommended times | 550 | (46.9) | 298 | 252 |
| Beyond recommended times | ||||
| Due to the waiting list | 382 | (32.6) | 211 | 171 |
| Due to delay in scheduling operation | 131 | (11.1) | 48 | 83 |
| Surgery not received | ||||
| Removed before recommended time expired | 23 | (2.0) | 14 | 9 |
| Removed after recommended time expired | ||||
| Due to the waiting list | 36 | (3.1) | 20 | 16 |
| Due to delay in scheduling operation | 26 | (2.2) | 8 | 18 |
| Still on the list beyond recommended time | ||||
| Due to the waiting list | 13 | (1.1) | 10 | 3 |
| Due to delay in scheduling operation | 12 | (1.0) | 4 | 8 |