It's well known that Black people have higher rates of poor outcomes after surgery than their White counterparts. The prevailing cause of such disparity may be that, before surgery, Black adults have higher rates of chronic diseases — in addition to other potential factors such as implicit bias and structural racism. In addition to their higher risk of death within 30 days,Black children had an 18% greater chance of developing complications. Black children, moreover, were at greater risk for undergoing surgeries and intubations for a second time that weren't part of the plan. Many factors can affect post-surgery health, including racismThat Black children had higher death rates may be explained by their greater likelihood of experiencing seriously harmful events after surgery, the study said.

Source: CNN July 20, 2020 04:07 UTC