Female patients are more likely to die from postoperative cardiac surgery complications compared to male patients undergoing the same procedure, according to a study published Oct. 17 in JAMA Surgery.
Researchers from Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan and Michigan Medicine, and St. Louis-based Washington University School of Medicine analyzed Medicare data to compare rates of complications and mortality among male and female patients.
Here are four takeaways from the study:
- The study analyzed data of 863,305 Medicare beneficiaries from October 2015 to February 2020. Data analysis occurred between August 2023 and March 2024.
- Patients represented in the study underwent the following high-risk surgical procedures: abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic valve replacement and mitral valve replacement or repair.
- Across all procedures, male and female patients had similar rates of complications, but female patients had higher rates of 30-day mortality and failure to rescue.
- The researchers encourage recognition and management of postoperative complications in female patients to narrow the outcome disparity.