Evaluating Receipt of Optimal Medical Therapy Among Structurally Disadvantaged Groups Undergoing Amputation

Optimal medical therapy (OMT) for peripheral artery disease (PAD) is associated with decreased major amputation and mortality. OMT has several components, including antiplatelet and high-intensity statin therapy, blood pressure control, etc. While there are disparities in receipt of OMT among PAD patients, it is unknown if patients from disadvantaged neighborhoods, measured by the area deprivation index (ADI), are less likely to be on OMT.

We performed a retrospective review of patients that underwent major lower extremity amputation between 2015 and 2019 at 2 large academic healthcare systems. Primary exposure was high ADI, defined as ADI ≥60th percentile, and secondary exposure was non-Hispanic Black (NHB) race. For each analysis, the primary outcome of interest was receipt of OMT, defined here as at least one antiplatelet agent and a high-intensity statin. The exposure outcome relationship was assessed using multivariable logistic regression.

Among 354 patients with median age of 66 (interquartile range [IQR] 58-74), 267 (75.4%) were male, 219 (61.9%) identified as NHB and 116 (32.8%) as non-Hispanic White (NHW). Overall, 91 (25.7%) patients were on OMT at time of amputation despite 57.3% of the cohort being established with a vascular surgeon. Compared to those with low ADI, the category high ADI had a higher proportion of NHB patients (48.1% vs 70.3%, P = 0.001) and patients were more often hospitalized at the University-affiliated facilities (47.4% vs 63.0%, P = 0.004). High ADI was not associated with receipt of OMT prior to major amputation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.42-1.24). In secondary analysis, NHB race was not associated with receipt of OMT. Stratification by facility type (Veterans Affairs and University-affiliated facilities) also showed no association between high ADI or race and receipt of OMT.

Neighborhood economic well-being is not associated with receipt of OMT prior to major amputation. While the absence of socioeconomic disparities is notable, the proportion of patients on OMT is suboptimal. Care processes should be critically evaluated and quality measures potentially created to improve the rate of receipt of OMT among patients at risk for amputation.