Abstract 10283: Socioeconomic Disparities in Overall and Morbidity Free Survival of Infants With Single Ventricle Heart Disease

Abstract

Prior studies have demonstrated higher odds of mortality for non-white and lower socioeconomic status patients with single ventricle (SV) heart disease. However, these studies have not examined survival through staged surgical palliation or rates of morbidity in this patient population. We hypothesized that non-white race/ethnicity and lower socioeconomic status were associated with lower overall survival and increased morbidity through 1 st birthday in patients undergoing SV palliation. Patients with SV heart disease, live birth, and planned SV palliation in the National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2020, were included. Race/ethnicity, payer, and neighborhood characteristics were analyzed. Morbidity was defined as acute neurological events, unplanned procedures, renal support, cardiac arrest, extracorporeal life support, necrotizing enterocolitis, or surgical site infection. Morbidity-free survival was defined as survival through each stage of palliation without experiencing one of the above morbidities. Cox proportional hazards and multivariable regression modeling were performed to evaluate the association between socioeconomic variables, race/ethnicity, and overall morbidity-free survival to 1st birthday. There were 2,184 live births with an overall survival to 1st birthday of 76%. There was no difference in survival to 1st birthday between non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic patients. Patients with government insurance had decreased survival prior to their 1st birthday (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.64, 0.98 vs commercial insurance). Infants with government insurance had lower morbidity-free survival during stage 1 (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.59, 0.87) and stage 2 (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.52, 0.85) hospitalizations. Patients with “Other” race/ethnicity had lower odds of morbidity-free survival to one year of age (OR 0.68 95% CI 0.47, 0.98). Household income and deprivation index were not associated with survival or morbidity. Infants with government insurance experienced decreased survival to 1st birthday, and those of “Other” race/ethnicity had lower morbidity-free survival. Addressing disparities in these patient populations is an area of ongoing need.