According to a statistical brief from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, below are the top 10 costliest OR procedures performed in US hospitals during 2011. Aggregate annual costs are shown, followed by average per-stay costs in parentheses. Note that four of the 10 are orthopaedic procedures, with cardiac interventions coming in second, with three of the top 10.
1. Spinal fusion — $12.8 billion ($27,600 per hospital stay)
2. Knee replacement — $11.3 billion ($15,900 per hospital stay)
3. Percutaneous coronary angioplasty — $9.7 billion ($18,800 per hospital stay)
4. Hip replacement — $8 billion ($17,200 per hospital stay)
5. Caesarean section — $7.5 billion ($5,900 per hospital stay)
6. Colorectal resection — $6.7 billion ($23,400 per hospital stay)
7. Coronary artery bypass graft — $6.4 billion ($38,700 per hospital stay)
8. Heart valve procedures — $6.1 billion ($53,400 per hospital stay)
9. Cholecystectomy and common duct exploration — $5 billion ($12,600 per hospital stay)
10. Treatment, fracture or dislocation of hip and femur — $4.3 billion ($16,800 per hospital stay)