Sex Disparities in the Management, Outcomes, and Transfer of Patients Hospitalized for Cardiogenic Shock

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that females have worse outcomes for cardiogenic shock (CS) than males. Patients who receive care in CS “hubs” have also been shown to have improved outcomes when compared to those treated at “spokes.” This study aimed to examine the presence of sex disparities in the outcomes of CS in relation to hospital type.MethodsHospitalizations of adults with a diagnosis of CS were identified using data from the 2016-2019 Nationwide Readmissions Database. CS “hubs” were defined as any centers receiving at least 1 interhospital transfer with CS, while those without such transfers were classified as “spokes.” Data were combined across years and multivariable logistic regression modeling was used to evaluate the association of sex with in-hospital mortality, invasive procedures, and transfer to hubs.ResultsThere were a total of 618,411 CS hospitalizations (62.2% male) with CS related to acute myocardial infarction comprising 15.3 to 17.3% of female hospitalizations and 17.8 to 20.3% of male hospitalizations. In-hospital mortality was lower at hubs (34.5% for direct admissions, 31.6% for transfers) than at spokes (40.3%, all P < .01). Females underwent fewer invasive procedures (right heart catheterization, percutaneous coronary intervention, mechanical circulatory support) and had higher mortality than males. Female sex was independently associated with decreased transfers to hubs (odds ratio, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.89-0.96) and increased mortality (odds ratio, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.05-1.12).ConclusionsFemales with CS were less likely to be treated at a hub or transferred to a hub, had higher in-hospital mortality, and had a lower likelihood of receiving CS-related procedures than males. Further research is needed to understand sex-specific gaps in CS outcomes.