Racial and Gender Disparity in Achieving Optimal Medical Therapy for Inpatients with Peripheral Artery Disease

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Vascular Surgery
• Health Disparities Research

Background:

• Optimal medical therapy for peripheral artery disease (PAD) involves statins and anti-platelet agents to reduce cardiovascular events.
• Despite established guidelines, undertreatment of PAD remains a significant clinical challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the rate of initiating statin and anti-platelet therapy for inpatients newly diagnosed with PAD.
• To identify potential disparities in treatment initiation based on race and sex.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of inpatients diagnosed with PAD between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2016.
• Analysis of demographics, comorbid conditions, and prescription patterns at admission and discharge.
• Comparison of therapy initiation rates across different demographic groups and admitting services.

Main Results:

• Statin and anti-platelet prescriptions increased from admission to discharge (70% to 82% for statins, 82% to 91% for anti-platelets).
• Disparities were observed, with African American patients and females being more likely to be discharged without optimal medical therapy.
• Normal Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) results were associated with significantly lower statin initiation rates (40%).

Conclusions:

• Patients with newly diagnosed PAD are frequently discharged without guideline-recommended medical therapy.
• Race, sex, admitting service, and normal ABI findings may act as barriers to optimal PAD treatment.
• Further research and targeted interventions are needed to address these disparities and improve PAD management.