Study Investigates Association Between Race And Use Of Revascularizaton Vs Amputation In Lower Extremity Ischemia

Date: Mar-22-2013JAMA Surgery Study Highlights

A study by Tyler S. Durazzo, M.D., and colleagues at the Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, examined the difference between white and nonwhite patients in the rates of use of amputation or revascularization procedures for treatment of critical lower extremity ischemia (restriction in blood flow), with a focus on factors such as access and hospital resources. (Online First)

The study included hospital discharge records from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample of adult patients with the primary diagnosis of critical lower extremity ischemia from 2002-2008 (n=774,399).

Black patients were found to have 1.77 times the odds of receiving an amputation compared with white patients. The greatest difference in rates of amputations between black and white patients was found at the hospitals with the highest revascularization volumes, according to the study.

"Black patients have greater odds of undergoing amputation than white patients, even after correcting for an array of confounding parameters," the authors conclude.

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