CPAC024
CLINICAL PRIORITY ACCESS CRITERIA
Service Category: THORACIC SURGERY
Category Definitions:
Patient Type: Outpatient (Assessment)
1. Immediate
–
2. Urgent
–
3. Semi-Urgent –
Category
1.
Immediate
Seen as soon as
possible (within a
few hours)
2.
Urgent
Seen within 48
hours
Seen as soon as possible (within a few
hours)
Seen within 48 hours
Seen within 1 month
Criteria

Major functional impairment.

Trauma not requiring immediate
attention.
Examples
(not an exhaustive list)



–
–
–
–


Spontaneous pneumothorax.
Haemoptysis.
Post surgery problems, eg:
wound infection
thoractomy pain
dysphagia
pleural space fluid
Superior vena caval obstruction.
Tracheal and oesophageal
obstruction due to tumour growth.

–
–
–
–
Blunt trauma:
lung confusion
rib fractures/flail chest
diaphragmatic rupture
thoracic vertebral fractures

Infection.
 Empyema.
 Lung abscess.
 Chest wall infection.

Minimal functional impairment.



Infection.


Symptoms of mediastinal
masses.
Lung cysts.
Secondary pneumothorax.


Chronic empyema.
Some lung abscesses.
Suspected malignancy.

Operable carcinoma requiring
thoracic surgery:
– carcinoma of bronchus/lung
– primary tumours of the
mediastinum
– oesophagus
3.
Semi-Urgent
Seen within 1
month


Last updated February 2006


 Lung cysts which are growing.
Recurrent spontaneous
pneumothorax.
Pectus excavatum/carinatum.
Hiatus hernia.

Bronchiectasis/TB.
Minimal functional impairment.

Infection.
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CPAC024
NOTE:

Referral to the Thoracic Surgery Service is mainly via Respiratory Medicine Services and that the
respiratory priority waiting time criteria should be used in conjunction with these criteria.
Last updated February 2006
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