Falk, Kristine

AbstractRationaleExisting literature describing differences in survival following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by patient sex, race‐ethnicity and the role of socioeconomic characteristics (SEC) is limited.Aims and ObjectivesEvaluate differences in 1‐year survival after PCI by sex and race‐ethnicity, and explore the contribution of SEC to observed differences.MethodsUsing a 20% sample of Medicare claims data for beneficiaries aged 65+, we identified fee‐for‐service patients who received PCI from 2007 to 2015. We performed logistic regression to assess how sex and race‐ethnicity relate to procedural indication, inpatient versus outpatient setting, and 1‐year mortality. We evaluated whether these relationships are moderated by sequentially controlling for factors including age, comorbidities, presence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), county SEC, medical resource availability and inpatient versus outpatient procedural status.ResultsWe identified 300,491 PCI procedures, of which 94,863 (31.6%) were outpatient. There was a significant transition to outpatient PCI during the study period, especially for men compared with women and White patients compared with Black patients. Black patients were 3.50 percentage points (p < 0.001) and women were 3.41 percentage points (p < 0.001) more likely than White and male patients to undergo PCI at the time of AMI, which typically occurs in the inpatient setting. Controlling for age and calendar year, Black patients were 2.87 percentage points more likely than non‐Hispanic White patients to die within 1 year after PCI. After controlling for Black–White differences in comorbidities, the differences in 1‐year mortality decreased to 0.95 percentage points, which then became nonsignificant when further controlling for county resources and state of residence.ConclusionWomen were more likely to experience PCI in the setting of AMI and had less transition to outpatient care during the period. Black patients experienced higher 1‐year mortality following PCI, which is explained by differences in baseline comorbidities, county medical resources, and state of residence.

AbstractBackgroundObservational analyses comparing coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) among elderly or frail patients are likely biased by treatment selection. PCI is typically chosen for frail patients, while CABG is more common for patients with good recovery potential.HypothesisWe hypothesized that skilled nursing facility (SNF) use after revascularization is a measure of relative frailty associated with outcomes following coronary revascularization.MethodsWe used a 20 percent sample of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years or older who received inpatient PCI or CABG between 2007–2014. Key explanatory variables were the revascularization strategy and SNF use after revascularization. We used Cox regression to evaluate death and repeat revascularization within one year and logistic regression to evaluate SNF use and 30‐day readmissions/death.ResultsCABG patients were 25.1 percentage points [95% confidence interval: 24.7, 25.5] more likely to use SNF following revascularization than inpatient PCI patients. SNF use was associated with a higher death rate (hazard ratio (HR): 3.19 [3.02, 3.37]) and a 16.2 percentage point (15.5, 16.9) increase in 30‐day readmissions/death. Among patients with SNF use, CABG was associated with a decrease in 30‐day readmissions/death compared to PCI.ConclusionsWhile CABG was associated with higher rates of SNF use and 30‐day readmission/death overall, CABG was associated with significantly lower rates of 30‐day readmissions/death among patients with SNF use. The findings suggest that caution is needed in treatment selection for patients at high‐risk for SNF use and that selection of inpatient PCI over CABG may be associated with frailty and worse outcomes for some patients.