University Study Finds Racial Disparity in Survival Rates After Coronary Bypass Surgery

EAST-CAROLINA-UNIVA new study by researchers at Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, has found a racial disparity in death rates for patients who underwent coronary bypass surgery and who have peripheral artery disease.

Researchers examined the records of more than 13,000 patients who underwent coronary bypass surgery. The data showed that for patients who also had peripheral artery disease, the average patient survived 9.2 years after having surgery. But for White patients the average survival time was 9.5 years and for Blacks who had bypass surgery the average survival time was eight years.

Lead author Dr. Jimmy T. Efird, an epidemiologist at the university, offers the following explanation for the racial gap: “To a large extent, it is a resource problem. Often black PAD patients will have ambulatory restrictions and may need special transportation to and from their follow-up visits that may not be fully covered by their health insurance or other government programs. Income disparities, fear of the medical system and historic discrimination also may exasperate the situation.”

The study was published in the July 2013 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. It may be viewed here.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

University of Maryland Reports on Its Historic Ties to Slavery

"This new research report is an important first step in confronting and disrupting the narrative of our shared history. It challenges us to see through the privileged half-truths we’ve long held as a university and to create a more inclusive and truthful documented history," said Lae’l Hughes-Watkins, co-chair of The 1856 Project.

Yale University Commits $10 million Toward HBCU Partnerships

Yale University issued a formal apology three weeks ago regarding its historical ties to slavery. In response, the university has pledged $10 million towards an initiative that aims to expand collaboration with historically Black colleges and universities.

Gallup Survey Finds Black Students More Likely Than Their White Peers to Withdraw From College

A 2023 survey conducted by Gallup in partnership with the Lumina Foundation has found that 40 percent of currently enrolled Black students have considered stopping their coursework in the past six months, compared to 31 percent of White students.

Recent Books of Interest to African American Scholars

The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education regularly publishes a list of new books that may be of interest to our readers. The books included are on a wide variety of subjects and present many different points of view.

Featured Jobs