National outcomes for dementia patients undergoing cardiac surgery in a pre-structural era

Abstract Objective With an aging population and higher prevalence of dementia, there is a paucity of data regarding dementia patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. We examined the nationwide trends and outcomes of cardiovascular surgery patients with dementia to determine its effect on morbidity, mortality, and discharge disposition. Methods From 2002 to 2014, 11,414 (0.27%) of the 4,201,697 cardiac surgery patients from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample had a preoperative diagnosis of dementia. Propensity-score matching was used to balance dementia and non-dementia groups. Primary outcomes included postoperative morbidity, mortality, and discharge to skilled nursing facility (SNF). Results Dementia patients were more often male (67%) and 65–84 years old (84%). Postoperative mortality among patients with dementia was lower compared to patients without dementia (3.4% vs. 4.6%, p