IntroductionEvidence suggests the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic highlighted well-known healthcare disparities. This study investigated racial disparities in patients with COVID-19-related hospitalizations utilizing the US (United States) National Inpatient Sample (NIS). MethodologyThis was a retrospective study conducted utilizing the NIS 2020 database. The NIS was searched for hospitalization of adult patients with COVID-19 infection as a principal diagnosis using ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision) codes. We divided the NIS into four major racial/ethnic groups: White, Black, Hispanic, and others. The primary outcome was inpatient mortality, and the secondary outcomes were the mean length of stay, mean total hospital charges, development of sepsis, septic shock, use of vasopressors, acute respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney failure, acute myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, cerebrovascular accident, and need for mechanical ventilation. ResultsCompared to White patients, Hispanic patients had higher adjusted inpatient mortality odds (aOR [adjusted odds ratio]: 1.25, 95% CI 1.19-1.33, p<0.001); however, Black patients had similar adjusted mortality odds (aOR: 0.96, 95% CI 0.91-1.01, p=0.212). Black patients and Hispanic patients had a higher mean length of

Background: A large body of research has been conducted on the "weekend effect," which is the reportedly increased risk of adverse outcomes for patients admitted to the hospital on weekends versus those admitted on weekdays. This effect has been researched in numerous patient populations, including sub-populations of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, with varying conclusions.Objectives: To assess whether differences in in-hospital mortality, access to renal replacement therapy (RRT), time to RRT, and other important outcomes exist in patients with ESRD or patients on RRT admitted on the weekend versus weekdays.Design and setting: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the 2018 Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Patients were included if they were adults with a principal or secondary diagnosis of ESRD or if they were admitted with a diagnosis related to initiation, maintenance, or complications of RRT. Patients admitted between midnight Friday and midnight Sunday were classified as weekend admissions. Primary outcome measurements included in-hospital mortality, in-hospital dialysis (peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, and continuous RRT), and renal transplantation (TP). Secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay (LOS) and total hospitalization charges.Results: The study included 1,144,385 patients who satisfied the inclusion criteria. Compared with patients admitted on weekdays, patients with ESRD admitted on weekends had 8% higher adjusted odds of inhospital mortality (OR: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.03-1.13; p = 0.002), 9% lower adjusted OR of any RRT over the weekend than on weekdays (OR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.89-0.93; p = 0.000), lower RRT rates (within 24 hours)

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The effect of the pandemic on patient care and health care delivery is unprecedented. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on the epidemiological trends and disparities in the outcomes of patients hospitalized for heart failure. This was a retrospective study involving hospitalizations for HF. We sourced data from the NIS databases from 2016 through 2020. The study involved hospitalizations for HF as the principal diagnosis. These conditions were matched with CCSR categories. We obtained the admission rates per 100,000 adult hospitalizations during each calendar year. The outcomes were the admission rate, in-hospital mortality rate, mean length of hospital stay (LOS), and mean THC between 2019 and 2020 to estimate the pandemic effect. During the pandemic (2020) there was a significant decrease in the hospitalization rate (385 admissions in 2020 vs. 416 admissions in 2019 per 100,000 admissions). The mean age of patients admitted for HF pre-pandemic was 71.3 years while during the pandemic, it was 70.5 years. There was a significant increase in the inpatient mortality during the pandemic (2.76% vs 2.50% p-value <0.001) and reduction in the proportion of females that were admitted for HF (46.5% vs 47.5% p-value <0.001). In summary, we observed a reduction in patients admitted for HF during the pandemic, however there were worse outcomes in those admitted. Further studies to explore the pathophysiology of COVID in HF and the delicate management of this distinct patient group are encouraged.