Effect of Socioeconomic Distress on Risk-Adjusted Mortality After Valve Surgery for Infective Endocarditis

Socioeconomic disparities in procedural choice and outcomes after aortic valve replacement

Objective

To identify potential socioeconomic disparities in the procedural choice of patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) versus transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and in readmission outcomes after SAVR or TAVR.

Methods

The Nationwide Readmissions Database was queried to identify a total of 243,691 patients who underwent isolated SAVR and TAVR between January 2016 and December 2018. Patients were stratified according to a tiered socioeconomic status (SES) metric comprising patient factors including education, literacy, housing, employment, insurance status, and neighborhood median income. Multivariable analyses were used to assess the effect of SES on procedural choice and risk-adjusted readmission outcomes.

Results

SAVR (41.4%; 100,833 of 243,619) was performed less frequently than TAVR (58.6%; 142,786 of 243,619). Lower SES was more frequent among patients undergoing SAVR (20.2% [20,379 of 100,833] vs 19.4% [27,791 of 142,786]; P < .001). Along with such variables as small hospital size, drug abuse, arrhythmia, and obesity, lower SES was independently associated with SAVR relative to TAVR (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11 to 1.24). After SAVR, but not after TAVR, lower SES was independently associated with increased readmission at 30 days (aOR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.07-1.32), 90 days (aOR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.15-1.41), and 1 year (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.28; P < .05 for all).

Conclusions

Our study findings indicate that socioeconomic disparities exist in the procedural choice for patients undergoing AVR. Patients with lower SES had increased odds of undergoing SAVR, as well as increased odds of readmission after SAVR, but not after TAVR, supporting that health inequities exist in the surgical care of socioeconomically disadvantaged patients.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Definition of Failure to Rescue Should Consider Including Cardiac Arrest

BACKGROUND

Failure to rescue (FTR) is a new quality measure in The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Adult Cardiac Surgery Database. The STS defines FTR as death after permanent stroke, renal failure, reoperation, or prolonged ventilation. Our objective was to assess whether cardiac arrest should be included in this definition.

METHODS

Patients undergoing an STS index operation in a regional collaborative (2011-2021) were included. The performance of the STS definition of FTR was compared with a definition that included the STS complications plus cardiac arrest (STS+). Centers were grouped into FTR rate terciles using the STS and STS+ definitions of FTR, and changes in their relative performance rating were assessed.

RESULTS

A total of 43,641 patients were included across 17 centers. Cardiac arrest was the most lethal complication: 55.0% of patients who experienced cardiac arrest died. FTR after any complication (13 total) occurred among 884 patients. The STS definition of FTR accounted for 83% (735 of 884) of all FTR. The addition of cardiac arrest to the STS definition significantly increased the proportion of overall FTR accounted for (92.2% [815 of 884]; P < .001). Choice of FTR definition led to substantial differences in center-level relative performance rating by FTR rate.

CONCLUSIONS

Mortality after cardiac arrest is not completely captured by the STS definition of FTR and represents an important source of potentially preventable death after cardiac surgery. Future quality improvement efforts using the STS definition of FTR should account for this.

Cardiac Surgery Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic Worsened Across All Socioeconomic Statuses

BACKGROUND

Increasing socioeconomic distress has been associated with worse cardiac surgery outcomes. The extent to which the pandemic affected cardiac surgical access and outcomes remains unknown. We sought to examine the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and outcomes after cardiac surgery by socioeconomic status.

METHODS

All patients undergoing a Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) index operation in a regional collaborative, the Virginia Cardiac Services Quality Initiative (2011-2022), were analyzed. Patients were stratified by timing of surgery before vs during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 13, 2020). Hierarchic logistic regression assessed the relationship between the pandemic and operative mortality, major morbidity, and cost, adjusting for the Distressed Communities Index (DCI), STS predicted risk of mortality, intraoperative characteristics, and hospital random effect.

RESULTS

A total of 37,769 patients across 17 centers were included. Of these, 7269 patients (19.7%) underwent surgery during the pandemic. On average, patients during the pandemic were less socioeconomically distressed (DCI 37.4 vs DCI 41.9; P < .001) and had a lower STS predicted risk of mortality (2.16% vs 2.53%, P < .001). After risk adjustment, the pandemic was significantly associated with increased mortality (odds ratio 1.398; 95% CI, 1.179-1.657; P < .001), cost (+$4823, P < .001), and STS failure to rescue (odds ratio 1.37; 95% CI, 1.10-1.70; P = .005). The negative impact of the pandemic on mortality and cost was similar regardless of DCI.

CONCLUSIONS

Across all socioeconomic statuses, the pandemic is associated with higher cost and greater risk-adjusted mortality, perhaps related to a resource-constrained health care system. More patients during the pandemic were from less distressed communities, raising concern for access to care in distressed communities.