Are there any ethnic differences in the number of coronary artery bypass and valve heart surgeries among Caucasians, African Americans and Puerto Ricans? The western New York experience.
Prevalence rates of coronary artery bypass and valve surgery among Hispanics has not been well documented, particularly with regards to Puerto Ricans. Accordingly, we conducted a retrospective review of the surgical database in the Greater Buffalo Area of Western New York, serving a large Puerto Rican Hispanic community between January 1, 2001 and June 30, 2001, in order to determine if there is a particular trend in the utilization of these two surgical procedures among Caucasians, African Americans and Puerto Ricans. The results of this brief report shows that 95% of these surgical interventions, in the above mentioned time period, were done in Caucasians; while only 4.2% of these combined surgeries were performed in African Americans and in only 0.8% of Puerto Rican Hispanics. These results add to the growing evidence supporting lack of appropriate tool(s) or mechanism(s) to address health care issues among minorities, particularly Hispanic Puerto Ricans. This is the first report of this kind showing rates of coronary artery bypass and valve surgery involving this particular sector of the Hispanic community in the United States. It also emphasizes the need to promptly identify these deficiencies, particularly when considering that Hispanics are the most rapidly increasing minority ethnic population in the United States.
López-Candales
Angel
A
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Cardiovascular Institute, S560 Scaife Hall, 200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. lopezcandalesa@msx.upmc.edu
Horton
Linda
L
Schwartz
Jeffrey
J
D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006351:Heart Valves / Q000601:surgery*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*