ABSTRACT
Introduction Evidence suggests the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic highlighted well-known healthcare disparities. This study investigated racial disparities in patients with COVID-19-related hospitalizations utilizing the US (United States) National Inpatient Sample (NIS). Methodology This was a retrospective study conducted utilizing the NIS 2020 database. The NIS was searched for hospitalization of adult patients with COVID-19 infection as a principal diagnosis using ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision) codes. We divided the NIS into four major racial/ethnic groups: White, Black, Hispanic, and others. The primary outcome was inpatient mortality, and the secondary outcomes were the mean length of stay, mean total hospital charges, development of sepsis, septic shock, use of vasopressors, acute respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney failure, acute myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, cerebrovascular accident, and need for mechanical ventilation. Results Compared to White patients, Hispanic patients had higher adjusted inpatient mortality odds (aOR [adjusted odds ratio]: 1.25, 95% CI 1.19-1.33, p<0.001); however, Black patients had similar adjusted mortality odds (aOR: 0.96, 95% CI 0.91-1.01, p=0.212). Black patients and Hispanic patients had a higher mean length of stay (8.01 vs 7.13 days, p<0.001 and 7.67 vs 7.13 days, p<0.001, respectively), adjusted odds of cardiac arrest (aOR: 1.53, 95% CI 1.37-1.71, p<0.001 and aOR: 1.73, 95% CI 1.54-1.94, p<0.001), septic shock (aOR: 1.23, 95% CI 1.13-1.33, p<0.001 and aOR: 1.88, 95% CI 1.73-2.04, p<0.001), and vasopressor use (aOR: 1.32, 95% CI 1.14 - 1.53, p<0.001 and aOR: 1.87, 95% CI 1.62 - 2.16, p<0.001). Conclusion Our study showed that Black and Hispanic patients are at higher risk of adverse outcomes compared to White patients admitted with COVID-19 infection.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic altered healthcare delivery in the United States. This study examined the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the epidemiological trends and outcomes of gastrointestinal bleeding. We compared the admission rate, in-hospital mortality rate, and mean length of hospital stay between 2019 and 2020 to estimate the pandemic effect. The study highlighted disparities in outcomes of gastrointestinal bleeding hospitalizations stratified by sex and race. We noted a 9.5% reduction in the total number of hospitalizations in 2020. We also observed a 13% increase in overall mortality during the pandemic (P < 0.001). There was a 15.8% increase in mortality among men (P = 0.007), compared to a 4.7% increase among women (P = 0.059). There was a significant increase in mortality among Whites in 2020 compared to Black and Hispanic populations. On multivariable logistic regression, admission during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with increased length of stay when adjusted for age, sex, and race. Despite the direct COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality, the so-called indirect effect of the pandemic cannot be overlooked. For the remainder of the pandemic and future health emergencies, it is critical to balance mitigation of the spread of the contagion with clear public health messages to not neglect other life-threatening emergencies.
ABSTRACT
Background Community-acquired pneumonia due to viral pathogens is an under-recognized cause of healthcare-associated mortality and morbidity worldwide. We aimed to compare mortality rates and outcome measures of disease severity in obese vs non-obese patients admitted with viral pneumonia. Methods Adult patients admitted with viral pneumonia were selected from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample of 2016 and 2017. The arms were stratified based on the presence of a secondary discharge diagnosis of obesity. The primary outcome was inpatient mortality. Secondary outcomes included sepsis, acute respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney injury, and pulmonary embolism. Results and interpretation In total, 89,650 patients admitted with viral pneumonia were analyzed, and 17% had obesity. There was no significant difference in mortality between obese and non-obese patients (aOR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.705 - 1.362, p < 0.001). Compared to non-obese patients, obese patients had higher adjusted odds of developing acute hypoxic respiratory failure (aOR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.255 - 1.513, p < 0.001), acute respiratory distress syndrome (aOR: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.554 - 3.381, p < 0.001), need for mechanical ventilation (aOR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.236 - 1.819, p < 0.001), and pulmonary embolism (aOR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.024 - 2.788, p = 0.040). Conclusions Obesity was not found to be an independent predictor of inpatient mortality in patients admitted with viral pneumonia. However, obesity is associated with worse clinical outcomes and disease severity as defined by the presence of complications, greater incidence of acute respiratory failure (ARF), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), need for mechanical ventilation, acute kidney injury (AKI), pulmonary embolism (PE), stroke, and sepsis.