Abstract
Background Race and sex disparities in catheter ablation (CA)
utilization for atrial fibrillation (AF) have been documented. Less is
known about race and sex differences in comorbidity burden and quality
of care outcomes after CA. Objectives We sought to characterize
race and sex differences in patient and procedural characteristics and
their impact on prolonged length of stay (LOS) after CA for AF.
Methods A retrospective cohort of patients that received CA for
AF between 2018-2024 was developed from our single center NCDR registry.
The analysis was restricted to Non-Hispanic White (NHW) and Non-Hispanic
Black (NHB) patients due to small sample sizes for other groups. The
association between race, sex, and prolonged LOS was evaluated using a
multivariate stepwise regression model. A sensitivity analysis was
performed with the composite outcome of complications given its
sparsity. Causal mediation analysis was performed to assess whether race
differences in prolonged LOS were mediated by complications.
Results Between 2018-2024, 3,345 patients were included in the
cohort. NHB patients were younger and more likely to have Medicaid
insurance, higher BMI, higher comorbidity burden, history of atrial
flutter, prolonged LOS, and complications after ablation. They were less
likely to have prior CA. Female patients were older, less likely to have
private insurance and prior CA, and more likely to have paroxysmal AF,
transient ischemic attack, and chronic lung disease. NHB race [aOR
1.90 (95% CI 1.24-2.88), p=0.003] and a composite outcome of
procedural complications [aOR 156 (95% CI 72.5-377),
p<0.001] were independently associated with prolonged LOS. The
higher odds of prolonged LOS for NHB patients was not mediated by a
higher level of complications in this group. Conclusion
Prolonged LOS was more frequent among NHB patients undergoing CA. The
higher odds of prolonged LOS among NHB patients was not mediated by a
higher incidence of complications, suggesting that other factors like
comorbidity burden and social determinants of health (SDOH) are more
significant contributors. Policies focused on improving comorbidity
management and addressing sociocultural disparities may reduce prolonged
hospitalizations after CA for AF.