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Aug 1, 2024 Story by: Editor
HealthDay News — Racial and ethnic disparities in postoperative mortality among children remain an ongoing issue, according to a study published online on July 29 in Pediatrics.
The study, led by Dr. Olubukola O. Nafiu from Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, analyzed data from 673,677 children who underwent intermediate- to high-risk surgeries in U.S. hospitals between 2000 and 2019. The researchers aimed to estimate how many excess deaths could be avoided if Black and Hispanic children had postoperative mortality rates similar to those of White children. They also projected the mortality reductions needed to eliminate these disparities over the next decade.
The study revealed that risk-adjusted postoperative mortality was significantly higher for Black and Hispanic children compared to their White counterparts during the 19-year period (with adjusted relative risks of 1.42 and 1.22, respectively). This disparity was particularly pronounced among children receiving surgery in nonteaching hospitals, where Black and Hispanic children faced even higher mortality rates compared to White children (with adjusted relative risks of 1.63 and 1.50, respectively). In total, 4,700 excess deaths were recorded among Black children, and 5,500 among Hispanic children.
The researchers estimated that by implementing policy changes to achieve a 2.5 percent annual reduction in postoperative mortality, approximately 1,100 deaths could be prevented among Black children within the next decade.
“Despite a steady decline in pediatric post surgical mortality, persistent racial and ethnic disparities exist and are projected to continue unless robust, targeted actions are implemented to ensure equitable pediatric surgical outcomes,” the authors concluded. Source: Rheumatology Advisor
