Underrepresented racial and ethnic groups experience higher rates of morbidity and mortality with cardiac surgical interventions and have less access to cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons.
This review highlights persistent racial and ethnic disparities in perioperative cardiac surgical care and proposes multidisciplinary solutions to achieve health equity.
There has been little progress in reducing health care disparities since the 2003 landmark Institute of Medicine's report Unequal Treatment. Despite the higher burden of cardiovascular disease in underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, they have less access to cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons, and have higher rates of morbidity and mortality with cardiac surgical interventions. This review summarizes existing literature and highlights disparities in cardiovascular perioperative health care. We propose actionable solutions utilizing multidisciplinary perspectives from cardiology, cardiac surgery, cardiothoracic anesthesiology, critical care, medical ethics, and health disparity experts. Applying a health equity lens to multipronged interventions is necessary to eliminate the disparities in perioperative health care among patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
“We've known for 35 years that historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups tend to have less access to cardiovascular procedures. This study highlights the fact that even in 2022 if you're not white, you don't get the same therapies that white people do.”
Milam et al. (Mon,) conducted a review in Cardiac surgery. Underrepresented racial and ethnic groups was evaluated. Underrepresented racial and ethnic groups experience higher rates of morbidity and mortality with cardiac surgical interventions and have less access to cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons.