Heart, stroke and vascular disease: Australian facts

This section provides an overview of hospital care for all cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the Australian population. A hospitalisation for CVD may be for medical, surgical, or other acute care, for subacute care (for example rehabilitation) or for non-acute care (for example, maintenance care for a person with limitations due to a cardiovascular condition).

Many patients who are hospitalised with acute cardiovascular events will be cared for in a specialist unit:

• in 2023–24, there were 102 coronary care units in Australian public hospitals and a further 39 cardiac surgery units (AIHW 2025)
• in 2026, there were 117 specialised stroke units (Stroke Foundation, personal communication, 10 March 2026).

Length of stay in hospital

The length of time that people spend in hospital for CVD has decreased over the past 3 decades. Among those hospitalised for one night or more with CVD as a principal diagnosis:

• the average length of stay declined from 9.6 days in 1993–94 to 7.9 days in 2007–08 and 6.2 days in 2023–24
• in 2023–24, 31% of people admitted to hospital with CVD were discharged on the same day
• patients with stroke tended to stay longest – an average of 12.3 days, followed by patients with congenital heart disease (9.1 days), peripheral arterial disease (6.6 days), and coronary heart disease (4.4 days)
• The average length of stay in hospital increased with age. Those aged 85 and over stayed an average of 7.3 days, compared with 4.7 days for those aged 25–34 years. The longer lengths of stay among older people reflect the increased complexity and multiplicity of their conditions.

Hospital procedures

This section reports on a range of common procedures which diagnose or treat CVD and are performed on patients admitted to hospital.

Coronary angiography

In 2023–24, there were around 143,000 coronary angiography procedures reported for patients admitted to hospital – 96,000 (67%) for males and 47,300 (33%) for females.

Between 2000–01 and 2023–24, the age-standardised rate of coronary angiography procedures in males increased by 4.9% and 0.7% in females.

Echocardiography

In 2023–24, there were around 58,400 echocardiography procedures reported for patients admitted to hospital – 39,500 (68%) for males and 18,900 (32%) for females.

The age-standardised rate of echocardiography procedures reported for males was 2.2 times as high as for females.

Percutaneous coronary interventions

In 2023–24, around 46,400 PCIs were performed on patients admitted to hospital – 34,600 (75%) for males and 11,700 (25%) for females.

Between 2000–01 and 2023–24, the age-standardised rate of PCIs increased 23% among males and 14% among females (Figure 1).

Coronary artery bypass grafting

In 2023–24, there were around 12,600 CABG procedures performed on patients admitted to hospital – 10,500 (84%) for males and 2,100 (16%) for females.

Between 2000–01 and 2023–24, the age-standardised rate of CABG decreased by 54% in males, and 70% in females. This reflects changes in technology and clinical practice, as well as improved primary and secondary prevention (Figure 1).

Although rates of CABG have declined, the procedure remains a recommended treatment for certain patients with complex cardiovascular conditions (NHFA & CSANZ 2016).

Heart valve repair or replacement

In 2023–24, there were around 14,700 heart valve repair or replacement procedures performed on patients admitted to hospital – 9,400 (64%) for males and 5,300 (36%) for females.

The age-standardised rate of heart valve repair or replacement procedures was 2 times higher among males than females.

Pacemaker insertion

In 2023–24, there were around 21,700 pacemaker insertion procedures performed on patients admitted to hospital – 13,300 (61%) for males and 8,500 (39%) for females.

The age-standardised rate of pacemaker insertion procedures was 1.9 times as high among males as females.

Cardiac defibrillator implant

In 2023–24, there were around 4,100 cardiac defibrillator implant procedures performed on patients admitted to hospital – 3,200 (77%) for males and 923 (23%) for females.

The age-standardised rate of cardiac defibrillator implant procedures was 20 per 100,000 population in males, and 5.6 per 100,000 population in females.

Carotid endarterectomy

In 2023–24, there were around 1,800 carotid endarterectomy procedures performed on patients admitted to hospital – 1,400 (74%) for males and 470 (26%) for females.

The age-standardised rate of carotid endarterectomy procedures was 3.2 times higher among males compared with females.

Heart transplants

In 2023–24, there were 121 heart transplants performed – 97 (80%) for males and 24 (20%) for females.

The age-standardised rate of heart transplants was 3.9 times as high among males compared with females.

The Australian and New Zealand Organ Donation Registry (ANZOD) records and reports on organ donation within Australia and New Zealand. Of the 527 deceased organ donors in 2024 in Australia, 114 (22%) had a heart retrieved. From these heart donors there were 105 heart transplant recipients. Of these, 5 received heart/double lung transplants and 2 received a combined heart/kidney transplant (ANZOD 2025).