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Author(s): Jean Guglielminotti [sup.1] , Goleen Samari [sup.2] , Alexander M. Friedman [sup.3] , Ruth Landau [sup.1] , Guohua Li [sup.1] [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/00hj8s172, grid.21729.3f, 0000 0004 1936 [...], Objectives Structural racism (SR) is viewed as a root cause of racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes. However, evidence linking SR to increased odds of severe adverse maternal outcomes (SAMO) is scant. This study assessed the association between state-level indicators of SR and SAMO during childbirth. Methods Data for non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic white women came from the US Natality file, 2017-2018. The exposures were state-level Black-to-white inequity ratios for lower education level, unemployment, and prison incarceration. The outcome was patient-level SAMO, including eclampsia, blood transfusion, hysterectomy, or intensive care unit admission. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of SAMO associated with each ratio were estimated using multilevel models adjusting for patient, hospital, and state characteristics. Results A total of 4,804,488 birth certificates were analyzed, with 22.5% for Black women. SAMO incidence was 106.4 per 10,000 (95% CI 104.5, 108.4) for Black women, and 72.7 per 10,000 (95% CI 71.8, 73.6) for white women. Odds of SAMO increased 35% per 1-unit increase in the unemployment ratio for Black women (aOR 1.35; 95% CI 1.04, 1.73), and 16% for white women (aOR 1.16; 95% CI 1.01, 1.33). Odds of SAMO increased 6% per 1-unit increase in the incarceration ratio for Black women (aOR 1.06; 95% CI 1.03, 1.10), and 4% for white women (aOR 1.04; 95% CI 1.02, 1.06). No significant association was observed between SAMO and the lower education level ratio. Conclusions for Practice State-level Black-to-white inequity ratios for unemployment and incarceration are associated with significantly increased odds of SAMO.

PURPOSE: To characterize temporal trends and outcomes of delivery hospitalization with maternal congenital heart disease (CHD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this repeated cross-sectional analysis, deliveries to women aged 15-54 years with maternal CHD were identified in the 2000-2018 National Inpatient Sample. Temporal trends in maternal CHD were analyzed using joinpoint regression to estimate the average annual percentage change (AAPC) with 95% CIs. The relationship between maternal CHD and several adverse maternal outcomes was analyzed with log-linear regression models. Risk for adverse outcomes in the setting of maternal CHD was further characterized based on additional diagnoses of cardiac comorbidity including congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, valvular disease, pulmonary disorders, and history of thromboembolism. RESULTS: Of 73,109,790 delivery hospitalizations, 51,841 had a diagnosis of maternal CHD (7.1 per 10,000). Maternal CHD rose from 4.2 to 10.9 per 10,000 deliveries (AAPC 4.8%, 95% CI 4.2%, 5.4%). Maternal CHD deliveries with a cardiac comorbidity diagnosis also increased from 0.6 to 2.6 per 10,000 from 2000 to 2018 (AAPC 8.4%, 95% CI 6.3%, 10.6%). Maternal CHD was associated with severe maternal morbidity (adjusted risk ratios [aRR] 4.97, 95% CI 4.75, 5.20), cardiac severe maternal morbidity (aRR 7.65, 95% CI 7.14, 8.19), placental abruption (aRR 1.30, 95% 1.21, 1.38), preterm delivery (aRR 1.47, 95% CI 1.43, 1.51), and transfusion (aRR 2.28, 95% CI 2.14, 2.42). Risk for severe morbidity (AAPC 4.7%, 95% CI 2.5%, 6.9%) and cardiac severe morbidity (AAPC 4.7%, 95% CI 2.5%, 6.9%) increased significantly among women with maternal CHD over the study period. The presence of cardiac comorbidity diagnoses was associated with further increased risk. CONCLUSION: Maternal CHD is becoming more common among US deliveries. Among deliveries with maternal CHD, risk for severe morbidity is increasing. These findings support that an increasing burden of risk from maternal CHD in the obstetric population.

ObjectiveTo analyse trends, risk factors, and outcomes related to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP).DesignRepeated cross-sectional.SettingUS delivery hospitalisations.PopulationDelivery hospitalisations in the 2000-2018 National Inpatient Sample.MethodsUS hospital delivery hospitalisations with HDP were analysed. Several trends were analysed: (i) the proportion of deliveries by year with HDP, (ii) the proportion of deliveries with HDP risk factors and (iii) adverse outcomes associated with HDP including maternal stroke, acute renal failure and acute liver injury. Risk ratios were determined using regression models with HDP as the exposure of interest.Main outcome measuresPrevalence of HDP, risk factors for HDP and associated adverse outcomes.ResultsOf 73.1 million delivery hospitalisations, 7.7% had an associated diagnosis of HDP. Over the study period, HDP doubled from 6.0% of deliveries in 2000 to 12.0% in 2018. The proportion of deliveries with risk factors for HDP increased from 9.6% in 2000 to 24.6% in 2018. In adjusted models, HDP were associated with increased stroke (aRR [adjusted risk ratio] 15.9, 95% CI 14.8-17.1), acute renal failure (aRR 13.8, 95% CI 13.5-14.2) and acute liver injury (aRR 1.2, 95% CI 1.2-1.3). Among deliveries with HDP, acute renal failure and acute liver injury increased; in comparison, stroke decreased.ConclusionHypertensive disorders of pregnancy increased in the setting of risk factors for HDP becoming more common, whereas stroke decreased.Tweetable abstractWhile hypertensive disorders of pregnancy increased from 2000 to 2018, stroke appears to be decreasing.

Background: Pediatric patients from minoritized racial and ethnic groups receive red blood cell (RBC) transfusions more frequently while undergoing major surgical procedures. Our objective was to identify the contribution of preoperative anemia to racial and ethnic differences in RBC transfusion rates in adolescent spine surgery. Study Design and Methods: This is a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Pediatric database, 2016 to 2021 for patients in the United States and Canada. Results: Adolescents identifying as non‐Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and other race/ethnicity presented with higher rates of preoperative anemia than non‐Hispanic White adolescents (16.3%, 10.6%, and 9.9%, vs. 7.8%, respectively; p <.0001) and were transfused at higher rates (14.4%, 11.9%, 16.5%, vs. 10.0%, respectively; p <.0001). Minoritized groups demonstrated higher adjusted odds of RBC transfusion compared with non‐Hispanic Whites (non‐Hispanic Black: aOR 1.45 95% CI 1.26–1.65, Hispanic: aOR 1.17 95% CI 0.96–1.41, other race/ethnicity: aOR 1.63 95% CI 1.26–2.09). Of the total effect of minoritized race and/or ethnicity on RBC transfusion, 13.9% was attributed to the indirect effect through preoperative anemia. Discussion: In this cohort study, patients from minoritized racial and ethnic groups received RBC transfusions at a higher rate than non‐Hispanic White patients, and the difference was partially mediated by preoperative anemia. Future efforts to minimize transfusions and improve health equity should target this modifiable risk factor alongside other sources of disparity and discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Racial and ethnic minorities often receive care at different hospitals than non‐Hispanic white patients, but how hospital characteristics influence the occurrence of disparities at the end of life is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine if disparities in end‐of‐life care were present among minoritized patients during terminal hospitalizations, and if these disparities varied with hospital characteristics. Methods: We identified hospitalizations where a patient died in New York State, 2016–2018. Using multilevel logistic regression, we examined whether documented end‐of‐life care (do‐not‐resuscitate status (DNR), palliative care (PC) encounter) differed by race and ethnicity, and whether these disparities differed based on receiving care in hospitals with varying characteristics (Black or Hispanic‐serving hospital; teaching status; bed size; and availability of specialty palliative care). Results: We identified 143,713 terminal hospitalizations in 188 hospitals. Across all hospitals, only Black patients were less likely to have a PC encounter (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.83 [0.80–0.87]) or DNR status (aOR 0.91 [0.87–0.95]) when compared with non‐Hispanic White patients, while Hispanic patients were more likely to have DNR status (aOR 1.07 [1.01–1.13]). In non‐teaching hospitals, all minoritized groups had decreased odds of PC (aOR 0.80 [0.76–0.85] for Black, aOR 0.91 [0.85–0.98] for Hispanic, aOR 0.93 [0.88–0.98] for Others), while in teaching hospitals, only Black patients had a decreased likelihood of a PC encounter (aOR 0.88 [0.82–0.93]). Also, Black patients in a Black‐serving hospitals were less likely to have DNR status (aOR 0.80 [0.73–0.87]). Disparities did not differ based on whether specialty PC was available (p = 0.27 for PC encounter, p = 0.59 for DNR status). Conclusion: During terminal hospitalizations, Black patients were less likely than non‐Hispanic White patients to have documented end‐of‐life care. This disparity appears to be more pronounced in non‐teaching hospitals than in teaching hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural racism is associated with significantly reduced use of labor neuraxial analgesia among non-Hispanic Black people and, to a lesser extent, among non-Hispanic White people. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between structural racism and labor neuraxial analgesia use. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed 2017 U.S. natality data for non-Hispanic Black and White birthing people. The exposure was a multidimensional structural racism index measured in the county of the delivery hospital. It was calculated as the mean of three Black–White inequity ratios (ratios for lower education, unemployment, and incarceration in jails) and categorized into terciles, with the third tercile corresponding to high structural racism. The outcome was the labor neuraxial analgesia rate. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% CIs of neuraxial analgesia associated with terciles of the index were estimated with multivariate logistic regression models. Black and White people were compared with the use of an interaction term between race and ethnicity and the racism index. RESULTS: Of the 1,740,716 birth certificates analyzed, 396,303 (22.8%) were for Black people. The labor neuraxial analgesia rate was 77.2% for Black people in the first tercile of the racism index, 74.7% in the second tercile, and 72.4% in the third tercile. For White people, the rates were 80.4%, 78.2%, and 78.2%, respectively. For Black people, compared with the first tercile of the racism index, the second tercile was associated with 18.4% (95% CI, 16.9–19.9%) decreased adjusted odds of receiving neuraxial analgesia and the third tercile with 28.3% (95% CI, 26.9–29.6%) decreased adjusted odds. For White people, the decreases were 13.4% (95% CI, 12.5–14.4%) in the second tercile and 15.6% (95% CI, 14.7–16.5%) in the third tercile. A significant difference in the odds of neuraxial analgesia was observed between Black and White people for the second and third terciles. CONCLUSION: A multidimensional index of structural racism is associated with significantly reduced odds of receiving labor neuraxial analgesia among Black people and, to a lesser extent, White people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Author(s): Jean Guglielminotti [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.3] , Ruth Landau [sup.1] , Alexander M. Friedman [sup.4] , Guohua Li [sup.1] [sup.5] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000000419368729, grid.21729.3f, Department of Anesthesiology, Columbia University [...], Objectives This study examined the prevalence and temporal trends in (a) pulmonary hypertension (PH) during pregnancy and (b) mortality and morbidity during pregnancy with and without PH. Methods This was a retrospective observational study of the 2003-2014 New York State Inpatient Database. PH was categorized as primary or secondary and pregnancy as loss or termination of pregnancy, preterm birth, or term birth. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition of maternal morbidity was used, including 17 diagnoses and 5 procedures. Changes were assessed using Cochran-Armitage trend tests. Results Of 2,940,868 pregnancy-related discharges, 746 indicated a diagnosis of PH (25/100,000; 95% CI 24-27). PH was secondary in 677/746 (91%) discharges and 488/746 were term births (65%). Prevalence of secondary PH increased from 17 to 30/100,000 between 2003- 2004 and 2013-2014 (+ 69%; P < 0.001), with an increase in the prevalence of heart valve disease, obesity, and systemic hypertension. Primary PH decreased 81% (P = 0.002). Term-birth PH discharges increased from 13 to 22/100,000 between 2003-2004 and 2013-2014 (+ 66%; P = 0.003), without change in preterm births and loss or termination of pregnancies. No change in morbidity in PH discharges was observed between 2003-2004 and 2013-2014, contrasting with a 64% increase in discharges without PH. Conclusions for Practice Prevalence of secondary PH during pregnancy markedly increased since 2003, underscoring the importance of screening for PH, especially in women with heart valve disease, obesity, or systemic hypertension.

Author(s): Jean Guglielminotti [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.3] , Ruth Landau [sup.1] , Cynthia A. Wong [sup.4] , Guohua Li [sup.1] [sup.5] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000000419368729, grid.21729.3f, Department of Anesthesiology, Columbia University [...], Background The incidence of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) during childbirth is increasing in the United States. A better characterization of risk factors for SMM may identify targets for improving maternal outcomes. This study aims to characterize patient-, hospital-, and neighborhood-level factors associated with SMM during childbirth. Methods SMM during childbirth was identified in the 2013-2014 State Inpatients Database for New York. Hospital and neighborhood characteristics were abstracted from the American Hospital Association and the Area Health Resources files. Multilevel modeling was used to identify factors associated with SMM, with and without blood transfusion, and its between-hospital variation. Results 403,116 delivery-related discharges from 139 hospitals were analyzed; 1557 (0.39%) recorded SMM without blood transfusion. In the final multilevel model, 7 patient-level factors were associated with a greater than fourfold increase in the risk of SMM: pulmonary hypertension, postpartum hemorrhage, placenta accreta, chronic kidney disease, cardiac conduction disorders, emergent cesarean delivery, and preeclampsia. Three hospital-level factors were associated with SMM: proportion of non-White patients, proportion of Medicaid beneficiaries, and coding intensity. No neighborhood-level factors were predictive of SMM. The proportion of variation in SMM explained by the model was 23.5 with 23.2% related to patient-level factors. The model explained 55% of the between-hospital variation, primarily related to patient-level factors. Similar results were observed for SMM with blood transfusion. Conclusions This study confirms the association between patient-level factors and SMM. It identifies patient-level factors as the major driver of between-hospital variation in SMM. Efforts to improve maternal outcomes should target patient-level factors.

Objective: It is possible that in the setting of increasing patient comorbidity and obesity, risk for surgical injury and need for reoperation is increasing. It is also possible that with differential uptake of evidence-based recommendations and increasing prevalence of risk factors such as obesity, risk for surgical site complications is increasing. The objective of this study was to evaluate trends in, risk factors for, and racial disparities related to cesarean complications. Methods: This repeated cross-sectional study evaluated cesarean deliveries in the 2002–2014 National Inpatient Sample for women age 15–54. The primary outcome was a cesarean surgical complication composite including (i) surgical injuries, (ii) reoperation, and (iii) surgical site complications. Surgical injuries, reoperation, and surgical site complications were additionally evaluated individually as outcomes. Univariable and multivariable log linear regression models including demographic, clinical, and hospital factors were performed to assess risk for outcomes with unadjusted and adjusted risk ratios (aRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) as measures of association. Temporal trends were estimated using average annual percentage change from a joinpoint regression model. A stratified analysis was performed restricted to non-Hispanic black women. Data was weighted to provide national estimates. Results: A total of 16.2 million estimated cesarean deliveries (3.2 million unweighted cesarean deliveries) from 2002 to 2014 were included in this analysis. The prevalence of the cesarean surgical complication composite was 1.14%, surgical site complications occurred in 0.60%, surgical injuries in 0.49%, and reoperations in 0.10%. Comparing the end of the study (2012–2014) to the beginning of the study (2002–2003), adjusted risk for the composite was similar (aRR 0.93, 95% CI 0.92, 0.95). In comparison, surgical site complication risk was lower at the end of the study (aRR 0.77, 95% CI 0.75, 0.79) while risks for surgical injury (aRR 1.18, 95% CI 1.15, 1.22) and reoperation (1.18, 95% CI 1.10, 1.26) were higher. Non-Hispanic black women were at increased risk for surgical site complications (aRR 1.83, 95% CI 1.80, 1.87) and reoperation (aRR 1.44, 95% CI 1.37, 1.51), but not surgical injury (aRR 0.99, 95% CI 0.97, 1.02). In analyses stratified for non-Hispanic black women, there was a reduction in risk for surgical site complications at the end of the study period compared to the beginning similar to the primary analysis (aRR 0.76, 95% 0.72, 0.81) with a modest decrease in overall risk for the composite outcome (aRR 0.85, 95% CI 0.81, 0.89). Conclusion: A decrease in risk for surgical site complications was offset by slightly increased risk for surgical injury and reoperation in adjusted analyses. Among non-Hispanic black women, surgical site complication risk decreased proportionately with this group still at significantly higher overall risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a reply to a study on the long-term risk of type 2 diabetes in women after preterm delivery or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP). The study found that women who experienced preterm delivery or HDP had increased risks for type 2 diabetes more than 40 years later. These findings were not explained by genetic or early-life environmental factors. The study aimed to determine whether preterm delivery and HDP are independently associated with long-term risk of type 2 diabetes, after adjusting for other maternal factors. The findings suggest that preterm delivery and HDP are independent risk factors for type 2 diabetes. [Extracted from the article]