Anything that is scheduled in advance (i.e. not imminently life or limb-threatening) is elective. That includes most transplants, coronary bypasses, removing a tumor from the brain etc.

They aren't measuring the mortality rate of the procedure. they are measuring this:

"Death in or out of hospital within 30 days of the procedure."

If I am already on my death bed (for lack of better word), the procedure's mortality rate is probably not swaying it much. Also, couldn't find if they would include something like a lethal car accident 28 days after the procedure or not.

> An elective procedure was defined as “elective: from waiting list,” “elective: booked,” or “elective: planned”

High risk procedures seem to be cancer related and specific excisions.

The problem is "elective" has a different meaning in doctor-speak than in common usage. "Elective" doesn't mean it's something you can reasonably decide to have or not, in doctor-speak it's the opposite of emergency. If it's put on the schedule rather than done stat it's elective, no matter how serious the procedure.