Black patients are more likely to pass away from high-risk surgeries when compared to white patients, according to a new study.
Released in the science journal the Annals of Surgery and presented on Sunday at the latest meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the study analyzed the information of thousands of hospitals across the U.S. using the National Inpatient Sample. About 35 million cases were included as part of the study; of these hospitalizations, approximately 1.5 million which were high-risk surgical procedures conducted from 2000 to 2020.
In their findings, the researchers found that Black patients and Hispanic patients were more likely to have higher mortality rates after the surgery. According to the study, Black patients were 42% more likely to pass away from high-risk surgeries at a rate higher than any other demographic included in the study.
To eliminate the disparities that exist post-surgery, the researchers estimated that there needs to be an annual 2.7% reduction in the rate of Black patients that pass away following a high-risk operation.
Hispanic patients were also more likely to pass away as they were found to be 21% more likely to not survive within 30 days of surgery when compared to white patients.
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Overall, the disparities that exist in the health care system contributed to approximately 12,700 deaths, averaging about 600 deaths a year amongst Black Americans and Hispanic Americans, that could have potentially been avoided.
Per lead researcher Christian Mpody, health officials need to consider a variety of factors of care in order to address disparities.
“Doctors think, ‘I’ll apply the same standard of care to everybody,’ and that’s equal care,” said Dr. Mpody per U.S. News. “But that’s not equity, because your patients are not all starting from the same place. We need to meet them where they are.”
The results of the study come less than a year after a Los Angeles County public hospital was found to have pressured Black patients into experimental surgeries. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the then 65-year-old Bernetta Higgins revealed she was pressured into an unnecessary operation for chest pain by a surgeon.
The surgeon was part of an extensive research operation performed on the hospital’s patients, the majority of whom are BIPOC patients, to test and promote medical products. Following the surgery, Higgins suffered from a stroke that forced her into a rehab center where she re-learned how to do tasks such as talk and write after her health deteriorated.
According to a county document, Higgins was given a $237,871 bill by the hospital for the surgery and four weeks worth of care. Forced to turn to county funds to pay off the rest of her bill, Medicare covered only roughly $23,000 of Higgins’ bill.
