Carotid endarterectomy among Medicare beneficiaries: a statewide evaluation of appropriateness and outcome.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to examine the appropriateness and the surgical outcomes of carotid endarterectomy (CE) in unselected community hospitals to identify opportunities for improvement.


METHODS
We performed a retrospective review of all CEs performed on Medicare beneficiaries in Georgia in 1993 (n = 1945). Conclusions regarding appropriateness were based on current guidelines as interpreted by a physician reviewer and were supported by the aggregate results of structured, blinded overreading by clinicians with relevant expertise. Adverse outcomes were confirmed and rated as to severity by a physician. Outcomes were correlated with demography, vascular anatomic findings, comorbidity, surgical techniques, and hospital characteristics.


RESULTS
The majority of the patients (51%) were asymptomatic at presentation. CEs were performed appropriately in 96.1% of the cases in accordance with current guidelines. There was no significant difference in the rate of appropriateness between the symptomatic (96%) and the asymptomatic patients (96.4%). Survival without stroke or myocardial infarction (MI) was 94.3%. The 30-day mortality was 1.9%; moderate to severe strokes occurred in 1.8%, stroke-related death in 0.7%, MI in 1.1%, and MI-related death in 0.5%. Those hospitals performing <10 CEs in the observed year had a statistically significant higher morbidity and mortality as well as an increase in less severe complications such as hematomas, wound dehiscence, wound infection, and pneumonia than did hospitals with higher volume of CEs.. Older patients and women had statistically significantly higher morbidity and mortality. Patients with a Charlson Severity Index score of > or =1 had a risk for adverse outcomes 3.4 times higher than patients with a score of 0 after adjustment for age and sex.


CONCLUSIONS
The great majority of CEs performed in Georgia on Medicare patients were appropriate, according to current guidelines. Slightly more than half of the patients were asymptomatic as defined in the Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Study. In hospitals performing <CEs in the index year, we noted higher morbidity and mortality, as well as an increase in less severe complications. This relationship between the volume of surgery and outcome was confirmed in the analysis of the 30-day mortality for all Medicare cases (n = 10,569) performed in Georgia from 1991 to 1995. This was the most important opportunity for improvement identified in this study. In view of the increased use of CE, it is important to continue to monitor the patterns of practice for this procedure to improve outcomes.
Karp
H R
HR
Georgia Medical Care Foundation, Emory University, Atlanta 30329-2224, USA. hkarp@gmcf.org
Flanders
W D
WD
Shipp
C C
CC
Taylor
B
B
Martin
D
D
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000601:surgery; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D002423:Cause of Death; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D015897:Comorbidity; D003710:Demography; D016894:Endarterectomy, Carotid / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006764:Hospitals, Community / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D018024:Peer Review, Health Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States; D014600:Utilization Review