Despite advances in cardiovascular medicine, a recent study reveals alarming disparities in outcomes for Black patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. The research, presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2024 annual meeting, analyzed data from over 1 million patients between 2016 and 2021.
The study found that Black patients are 22% more likely than white patients to die in the hospital following CABG surgery. This stark difference highlights ongoing inequalities in cardiovascular health care delivery in the United States.
Dr. Vinicius Moreira, lead author and chief anesthesiology resident at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, emphasized the urgency of addressing these disparities. Black patients experienced higher rates of severe postoperative complications, including a 23% higher rate of cardiac arrest compared to white patients.
The research also uncovered significant differences in hospital stays and costs. On average, Black patients remained hospitalized 1.5 days longer than white patients. Total hospital costs were $23,000 higher for Black patients and a staggering $78,000 higher for Hispanic patients.
These disparities persist despite Black and Hispanic patients being younger on average than their white counterparts at the time of surgery. However, Black and Hispanic patients were more likely to have pre-existing heart failure.
Dr. Moreira calls for urgent action from governments and health care systems to address these inequalities. Recommendations include developing preventive measures for high-risk patients, optimizing pre-operative health conditions, improving health care access, implementing population-wide screening programs, and tackling the obesity epidemic that disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic patients.
As cardiovascular medicine continues to advance, ensuring equitable access to these improvements remains a critical challenge for the medical community.
See “Study suggests advances in care are not benefiting all racial groups following coronary bypass surgery” (October 21, 2024)
