Sociodemographic disparities in concomitant left atrial appendage occlusion during cardiac valve operations

by Ayesha P. Ng, Nikhil Chervu, Yas Sanaiha, Amulya Vadlakonda, Elsa Kronen, Peyman Benharash BackgroundSociodemographic disparities in atrial fibrillation (AF) management and thromboembolic prophylaxis have previously been reported, which may involve inequitable access to left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) during cardiac surgery. The present study aimed to evaluate the association of LAAO utilization with sex, race, and hospital region among patients with AF undergoing heart valve operations. MethodsAdults with AF undergoing valve replacement/repair in the 2012 –2019 National Inpatient Sample were identified and stratified based on concurrent LAAO. Multivariable linear and logistic regressions were developed to identify factors associated with LAAO utilization. Mortality, complications including stroke and thromboembolism, hospitalization costs and lengt h of stay (LOS) were secondarily assessed. ResultsOf 382,580 patients undergoing valve operations, 18.7% underwent concomitant LAAO. Over the study period, the proportion of female patients receiving LAAO significantly decreased from 44.8% to 38.9% (p
Source: PLoS One - Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Source Type: research