Olubukola O Nafiu1, Christian Mpody2, Marc P Michalsky3, Joseph D Tobias2. 1. Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio. Electronic address: Olubukola.Nafiu@nationwidechildrens.org. 2. Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio. 3. Department of General Pediatric Surgery, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Racial disparities in postsurgical complications are often presumed to be due to a higher preoperative co-morbidity burden among patients of black race, although being relatively healthy is not a prerequisite for a complication-free postoperative course. OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of race with short-term postbariatric surgery complications in seemingly healthy patients. SETTINGS: Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program database (2015-2018). METHODS: We studied a relatively healthy (American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1 or 2), propensity score-matched cohort of adult non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white bariatric surgery patients. We compared the risk-adjusted incidences of postoperative complications, serious adverse events, and measures of postoperative resource utilization across racial groups. RESULTS: We identified 44,090 matched pairs of relatively healthy black and white bariatric surgery patients. Patients of black race were 72% more likely than those of white race to develop 1 or more postoperative complications (.7% versus .4%, respectively; odds ratio [OR], 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32-2.24; P < .01). Measures of postbariatric resource utilization were significantly higher in patients of black race than those of white race, including unplanned reoperations (1.3% versus 1.0%, respectively; OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.07-1.52; P = .01), unplanned readmissions (4.5% versus 3.0%, respectively; OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.38-1.69; P < .01), unplanned interventions (1.6% versus 1.2%, respectively; OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.16-1.60; P < .01), and extended hospital lengths of stay (51.2% versus 42.7%, respectively; OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.36-1.46; P < .01). CONCLUSION: Even among relatively healthy patients, race appears to be an important determinant of postbariatric surgery complications and resource utilization. Research and interventions aimed at narrowing the racial disparities in bariatric surgery outcomes may need to broaden the focus beyond the racial variation in the preoperative co-morbidity burden.
BACKGROUND: Racial disparities in postsurgical complications are often presumed to be due to a higher preoperative co-morbidity burden among patients of black race, although being relatively healthy is not a prerequisite for a complication-free postoperative course. OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of race with short-term postbariatric surgery complications in seemingly healthy patients. SETTINGS: Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program database (2015-2018). METHODS: We studied a relatively healthy (American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1 or 2), propensity score-matched cohort of adult non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white bariatric surgery patients. We compared the risk-adjusted incidences of postoperative complications, serious adverse events, and measures of postoperative resource utilization across racial groups. RESULTS: We identified 44,090 matched pairs of relatively healthy black and white bariatric surgery patients. Patients of black race were 72% more likely than those of white race to develop 1 or more postoperative complications (.7% versus .4%, respectively; odds ratio [OR], 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32-2.24; P < .01). Measures of postbariatric resource utilization were significantly higher in patients of black race than those of white race, including unplanned reoperations (1.3% versus 1.0%, respectively; OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.07-1.52; P = .01), unplanned readmissions (4.5% versus 3.0%, respectively; OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.38-1.69; P < .01), unplanned interventions (1.6% versus 1.2%, respectively; OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.16-1.60; P < .01), and extended hospital lengths of stay (51.2% versus 42.7%, respectively; OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.36-1.46; P < .01). CONCLUSION: Even among relatively healthy patients, race appears to be an important determinant of postbariatric surgery complications and resource utilization. Research and interventions aimed at narrowing the racial disparities in bariatric surgery outcomes may need to broaden the focus beyond the racial variation in the preoperative co-morbidity burden.
Authors: Grace F Chao; Jie Yang; Jyothi Thumma; Karan R Chhabra; David E Arterburn; Andrew Ryan; Dana A Telem; Justin B Dimick Journal: Surg Endosc Date: 2021-09-01 Impact factor: 3.453