Excess Postoperative Mortality for Black Men, Particularly After Elective Surgical Procedures

Black patients have higher overall postoperative mortality than do white patients. To further understand this excess risk, researchers analyzed records for 1.8 million Black and white U.S. Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries (age range, 65–99) who underwent any of eight common surgeries between 2016 and 2018; 30-day mortality outcomes were classified by race, sex, and surgical urgency (elective vs. nonelective).

After adjustment, Black men had significantly higher mortality than white men, white women, and Black women (3.05% vs. 2.69%, 2.38%, and 2.18%, respectively). These differences were driven primarily by deaths after elective procedures (1.30% vs. 0.85%, 0.82%, and 0.79%, respectively). No differences were observed for nonelective p…