Racial Disparities in Failure-to-Rescue among Children Undergoing Congenital Heart Surgery

Objective To determine if racial/ethnic disparities exist among children undergoing congenital heart surgery, using failure-to-rescue (FTR) as a measure of hospital-based quality. Study design This is a retrospective, repeated cross-sectional analysis using admissions from the 2003, 2006, and 2009 Kids' Inpatient Database. All pediatric admissions (<= 18 years) with a Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery procedure were included. Logistic regression models examining complications, FTR, and overall mortality were constructed. Results Hispanic ethnicity (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.01-1.26) was associated with increased odds of experiencing a complication when compared with white race. However, black race (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.33-2.07) and other race/ethnicity (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.10-1.79) were risk factors for FTR. Although Hispanic ethnicity was associated with increased odds of experiencing a complication, it was not associated with FTR. In hospital fixed-effects models, black race and other race/ethnicity remained as "within hospital" risk factors for FTR. Conclusions Black children and children of other race/ethnicity had higher rates of mortality after experiencing a complication. This suggests that racial disparities may exist in hospital-based cardiac care or response to care.